DALLAS — Caitlin Clark is used to the pressure of a game-winning shot.

She did it multiple times while she was a superstar in college: her game-winning buzzer-beater 3-pointer helped Iowa end the regular season with a win over Indiana in 2023, and she did the same thing against a pesky Michigan State team in 2024.

She’s been the subject of viral moments for the best reasons, and the Fever coaching staff knew that. So, after Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale hit a 3 to put the Wings up three points with three seconds left in Friday’s WNBA exhibition game in Dallas, the Fever called a timeout and drew up that play.

This time, it didn’t work out. Clark was so heavily guarded she couldn’t get the ball out of the inbound, and ended up getting it with less than a second left. She launched an off-balance shot, but it fell short and the Fever lost 79-76.

It was one of those scenarios where the Wings knew exactly what was going to happen; they knew with Fever All-Star Kelsey Mitchell out with an ankle injury, Clark was the only one on the court that could consistently make shots in those scenarios. When Mitchell comes back, that could change.

“She’s a player that has ice in her veins,” coach Christie Sides said. “Like Arike, she was 0-for-6 from 3 and then hits the game-winner. But we’ll have Kelsey Mitchell out there, who has the same ability, and that just changes how people guard, you know, when you have several options who can get a 3 off in three seconds.”

That missed shot doesn’t take anything away from Clark’s professional debut, either. She led the Fever in scoring in her inaugural WNBA game, dropping 21 points. She started 4-of-6 from 3-point range, but cooled off to a 5-of-13 clip. Both her 21 points and five 3s made are a Fever record for a debuting rookie.

But Clark wasn’t looking at numbers in her first game — she was more focused on making sure she didn’t stray from the type of game she’s known for. With her step-back, long-range 3-pointers — one of which went over 2019 WNBA Defensive POTY Natasha Howard’s head — she was true to herself.

“I think there’s gonna be a lot to go back and look at and learn from, because a lot of it is kind of different from college,” Clark said. “Just from, you know, a technique standpoint or you know, scheme standpoint, and what we do is not always always going to be the same.

So I think those are the biggest things, but I think overall, I just played really hard and that’s always something to be proud of.”

There’s a transition period all WNBA rookies need to go through. They’re coming off a grueling college season and entering an entirely new system, with new coaches, teammates, terminology and plays. And they only have five official days of practice to get it down before they’re on the court.

A lot of things are different: the pace is faster, the shot clock is shorter, players are more physical and referees give more leeway for the game to go on.

“The biggest transition is just the physicality,” Clark said. “Everybody sort of gets physical and sometimes it doesn’t get called. I would say that’s the biggest thing I think 1-5, or every single person that we play is so, so talented.

The talent level is obviously very different than it is in college, so getting used to that — no matter who steps into the game, you can never really relax, because that’s how competitive the league is.”

These transition periods come for coaches too; this wasn’t only the first time Clark was playing in a professional game, but also the first time Sides and her staff were coaching her in a full-on game situation.

Sides said postgame Clark called for a sub at the end of the first quarter because of how tired she was. It was partly a result of the physicality of the game, but also something Sides said she should be watching. That’s part of the learning experience for Sides, too.

“She got to the point where she was just completely gassed,” Sides said. “Like, when she looked over at me, I thought I was gonna have to go grab her and help her get to the sideline right there at the end of the first.

We have to do better, we can’t let her get to that point. She just won’t be able to last and the way people are guarding her — I mean, she’s seeing a double team, she’s seeing hard hedges, they’re being real physical with her.

That’s how it’s going to be for her. And so we’ve got to make sure we’re doing what we can to protect her. And so she’s able to go into fourth at the same level she is in the first.”

There are crucial things for the Fever to learn from this game, which includes working through physicality and getting adequate rest during the game.  At the end of the day, though, it’s a preseason game, and the Fever came within three points of a team that made it to the playoff semifinals last year.