No one can deny that the first round of the playoffs has been a firework show. This is especially true for the game on September 22nd between the Connecticut Sun and Indiana Fever at Mohegan Sun Arena. In the blink of an eye, the game seemed to change. In the first quarter, when the No. 1 defensive team was limiting Clark on the court, they faced a major setback: Tyasha Harris twisted her ankle during the game and did not continue from that point on. It seemed as if the Sun were headed for a loss. But one player on their roster turned the tables upside down.

If you guessed Carrington, then you’re wrong. It’s Marina Mabrey. Limiting a phenom like Caitlin Clark on the court is not easy at all. But while the Sun were busy doing so, their #4 guard kept an edge on offense. During her 28 minutes of gameplay, she scored an impressive 27 points, along with two rebounds and three assists—nearly one point per minute. What was more impressive was her readiness off the bench as she made 5 of 12 shots from the deep. This makes her first in terms of most points scored off the bench in a postseason game in the league’s history.

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Her excellence is something even two-time All-Star MVP Arike Ogunbowale admits. “Marina going crazy,” she wrote on X. Even for a veteran scoring 34 points in the All-Star Game, Mabrey’s pace was something to abide by. Undoubtedly, the Sun used her as a blessing in disguise when Harris struggled with injury.

Earlier in the third quarter, Mabrey and Clark were trading baskets. While Clark had eight points, Mabrey roared with 11 points. The Sun’s standout continued to add baskets, bringing her total to 27. This enabled the Sun to score 93 points while limiting the Fever to a mere 69 on the court. However, scores weren’t the only way the Sun used to stop Clark.

Caitlin  Clark is angry about the team’s defense.

Rightly called out for their physicality, the Sun once again proved Clark right. Only 90 seconds into the game, Indiana Fever rookie Clark was poked in the eye by DiJonai Carrington. “Obviously, she got me pretty good in the eye,” shared Clark in the post-game media conference. However, she did mention that she did not let it affect her.

But it looks like she may have failed. According to Clark, at the end of the first quarter, Fever was down at three. In the second quarter the lead increased to five, and 3 by third quarter.  “We struggled to get stops. The (shot) clock kept getting messed up. It was one thing after the next,” she added, unveiling the scenario the Fever’s roster was stuck in.

Even for Clark, the loopholes lay in the Fever’s offense. “Our defense could have been better. Marina (Mabrey) gets hot (shooting 9-of-20, 5-of-12 on threes, and scoring a team-high 27 points off the bench). As a shooter, you see a couple go in,” she added later. What else would you expect? Indiana lost the game, but they still have a chance to improve. But the question here is: will they?