Despite Double-Digit Display, Caitlin Clark Remains Dissatisfied After Embarrassing Blowout Loss

The professional debut experience of Caitlin Clark was not an ideal one. The Eastern Conference regular-season opener featuring the Connecticut Sun and the Indiana Fever went in favor of the home team courtesy of a 92-71 victory. Moreover, for the NCAA Division I women’s all-time leading scorer, it didn’t turn out to be the night she was expecting it to be. Following the loss, the 6 ft guard reflected on her personal contributions.

Caitlin Clark took center stage in the Fever’s interaction with the media soon after the game was concluded. In the initial minutes, a reporter pointed out her slow start and asked her about her first impressions of her debut game. Clark replied, “I thought it was physical. Obviously, it wasn’t the best start in the first half for myself. Getting into foul trouble and then got to sit on the bench and try to come back into the game.” 

The overall No.1 draft pick for the Indiana Fever was struggling from the very start. In the opening quarter itself, some reckless play including 2 fouls and a missed 3-point attempt, forced the hand of head coach Christie Sides to replace her with Kelsey Mitchell with just 4:51 remaining. In addition to this, her 10 turnovers turned out to be the most in the game in the franchise’s history. Further, it was also able to create a record for the highest on a career debut. She added on it further by saying, “Obviously, too many turnover. That’s not going to get the job done.”

Be that as it may, there were some positives that she can take away from this game.

The silver linings of the night for Caitlin Clark

The 22-year-old was the top performer for the visitors as she registered 20 points along with 3 assists and 2 steals. Furthermore, she was 5 of 15 while shooting from the field and was 36.36% accurate while landing the beyond-the-arc shots. The one area in which she was spot on was the free throws. Apparently, she was able to score points in all 6 of them.

In this minor setback for the 2x NCAA finalist, the important thing to look forward from here for Caitlin Clark will be to expect similar challenges in her upcoming games. On top of that, she will also need to adapt to the physical nature the professional side of this sport brings to the table. “Just getting more comfortable, that’s going to come with experience and getting to play with these girls,” Clark admits. And Coach Sides is much in line with the view.

“It’s going to take some time for her to figure that speed and quickness and physicality out,” she says over Clark facing the biggest challenge in Suns’ guard DiJonai Carrington.

We will have to wait and see how she shows up in her next game against the Liberty.