Caitlin Clark vs Angel Reese: Which Star Had the Better WNBA Pre-Season Debut Statistically?

Two of the former college basketball rivals Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese stepped inside the WNBA court for the very first time Friday night. Unfortunately, both of them ended up on the short end of the stick. While Indiana lost in the final seconds courtesy of a 24-foot three-point jumper from Arike Ogunbowale, Angel Reese and Co. suffered an 11-point loss. Still, both these athletes had noteworthy outings which has set the tone for their future.

To no one’s surprise, the Fever decided to start with Caitlin Clark. And, it didn’t take long for the 6 ft guard to open her professional account in a familiar fashion. In the opening minute itself, Clark landed a stunning three-point jumper from 28 feet through an assist by Erica Wheeler. This amazing display continued throughout the first half as she ended up scoring 16 points, which included 4 three-pointers.

Following this, things started to slow down for her in the second half as there was no activity from her end in the third quarter. Consequently, she had to make way for Grace Berger. Anyhow, with just 6:55 remaining in the game, she returned to the court and scored a 24-foot three-point jumper in the very next minute. 

Sadly, the Fever couldn’t hold on to their nerves in the final minutes of the game and suffered a 79-76 defeat in their pre-season opener at the College Park Center. Yet, Caitlin Clark finished her outing being the top performer, scoring 21 points in her 28 minutes on the hardwood. Moreover, she was 6 of 15 from the field and had a 38.4 % accuracy from beyond the arc. 

A similar fate followed her adversary, Angel Reese, at the Target Center.

The Chi-Town Barbie just missed a double-double on her WNBA debut

Just like Clark, the 3x All-American Reese started the game well. However, the first piece of action from her side was a block on Napheesa Collier’s layup. Soon after, a personal foul followed by a missed 18-foot jumper made the way for Kamilla Cardoso on the court. Nonetheless, Teresa Weatherspoon decided to reintroduce her into the game in the next quarter and this is when she started to find her groove.

Some offensive rebounds along with a series of free throws closed the first half for the Sky trailing by 11 points. Alas, Chicago couldn’t overcome this deficit in the second half and lost 92-81. 

Along with Dana Evans, Angel Reese became the joint top scorer in the Chicago locker room. Her 24 minutes resulted in her garnering 13 points, along with grabbing 9 rebounds. It was not the best of nights for her in terms of shooting, as the 6 ft 3 in forward was 2 of 8 from the field. In addition to this, she could only register a single assist next to her name and had 2 steals. Despite that, Reese displayed her prowess from the free throw line by converting 9 out of her 10 attempts. 

Not an ideal start for either of these first-round picks. While Caitlin Clark and Co. will take on Atlanta next, the Sky will look to turn the tables against last year’s WNBA finalists, the New York Liberty. Will they both have a reversal of fortunes in their next games? We’ll have to wait and see.