Caitlin Clark first game results: Fever rookie star scores 20 points but has 10 turnovers in WNBA Debut

Clark opened her first WNBA season in a loss to the Connecticut Sun

Caitlin Clark first game results: Fever rookie star scores 20 points but has 10 turnovers in WNBA Debut

Caitlin Clark’s WNBA got off to a rough start in a 92-71 loss to the Connecticut Sun. The Sun, who fell in the WNBA semifinals last season and are looking to compete for a championship this year, forced 10 Clark turnovers and 25 overall for the Fever.

Caitlin Clark headshot

Clark struggled shooting early in the game but got in a rhythm in the second half, scoring 13 of her 20 points in the second half on 4-of-8 from the floor after the break. She was also 6-of-6 from the foul line.

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Indiana’s schedule doesn’t get any easier as Caitlin Clark and the Fever return to the court for their home opener on Thursday against the New York Liberty who lost in last year’s WNBA Finals to the Las Vegas Aces.

Caitlin Clark is having a hot second half after struggling from the floor in the first half, despite the Fever trailing for nearly the entire game. After shooting just 2-of-7 in the first half with seven points, she’s topped 20 points for the game with three and a half minutes left in the fourth quarter to now lead her team in scoring on 5-of-13 from the floor including 4-of-10 from three and 6-of-6 from the free throw line.

Cassandra Negley

Clark talked earlier about learning when to set up teammates and when to be aggressive as a pro point guard. She’s taking on the aggressive part now to try and drag Indiana back into the game. She’s up to 20 points in 28 minutes in her pro debut, which is kind of wild given how difficult her night has gone.

There are a ton of new fans out there (WNBA diehards, look away!) so a quick reminder, Alyssa Thomas is playing with two torn labrums. Hence why she shoots the way she does. She was a triple-double machine last year and averaged nearly a triple-double en route to second in MVP voting. She’s near her first trip-doub of the season heading into the final 10 minutes with eight points, 10 assists and six rebounds. That line was a rarity in the WNBA until the last couple of seasons.

DeWanna Bonner’s layup moved her into fifth on the WNBA all-time scoring list over Candice Dupree (6,895). She comes out of the huddle to roaring applause from the home crowd during the arena’s announcement and lifts her arms to accept them. Diana Taurasi is the league’s all-time leader with 10,108 going into tonight. The two won two titles in Phoenix together. Tina Thompson, Tamika Catchings and Tina Charles (active with Atlanta) stand between them.

Some veteran leadership shown by reigning Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston talking with Caitlin Clark the entire walk to the locker room at the half. Clark was just 2-for-7 with seven points and five turnovers in a rough first half.

The Indiana starting five is a young group. Clark’s a rookie, Boston is in her second year and Smith in her third. There’s also been a lot of hoopla on the franchise over the past month. We’ll see if they settle in a little here and play with pace, but avoid rushing.

There it is! Big cheers for Clark’s first 3 of her pro career from the left side where she broke the NCAA DI women’s all-time scoring record. She’s had a tough start against this veteran Sun group. Maybe getting that 3 out of the way will break some nerves (even though she said again today she doesn’t get nervous before games)

Clark scores first WNBA basket

After starting the game 0-for-4, Caitlin Clark finally got on the board for the first time in her WNBA career in the middle of the second quarter with a driving layup down the right side of the lane.

 

Was really hoping to see Clark pull up and attempt a 3 over DeWanna Bonner’s wingspan. She came flying out of inbound pass to her spot. Instead, her first points are a driving layup that she foreshadowed with reporters about 90 minutes before tip.

“Honestly, what I’ve thought about is, like, it’d be nice to get a layup as my first basket. Why not get a high percentage to start it off, right?”

Cassandra Negley

Tough introduction to the WNBA’s best for Caitlin Clark. She fouled Alyssa Thomas twice in the opening minutes and rode the bench for most of the first quarter. Through one, she’s played 5:13 with one assist and one turnover. NaLyssa Smith (two fouls) and reserve forward Temi Fagbenle (three) are also in early trouble. Aliyah Boston draws her first in the opening seconds of the second quarter. The Sun are known being a physical, tough group and it’s proving problematic for the young Indiana squad early.

Clark now on the bench with two fouls at 4:51 of the first

Caitlin Clark 0-for-3 from the floor with one foul with 7:33 left in the first

For Connecticut: Brionna Jones makes her first start after an Achilles injury kept her out most of last season. Her last start was June 20, 2023.

For Indiana: Looks like Wheeler slots into point guard and Clark at shooting guard. Shooting guard Kelsey Mitchell, who will move into the starting lineup when she’s fully healthy and ready from an ankle injury, is available off the bench.

Greetings from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, where we’re still about 30 minutes from tip-off. The Sun announced an official sell out on Monday with 8,910 tickets sold. Capacity is about 10,000. It’s the franchise’s first sold-out home opener since its inaugural game in here in 2003 after four seasons as the Orlando Miracle. Fans queued outside the arena doors before 5 p.m., many in No. 22 Clark T-shirts.

Caitlin Clark’s first regular season WNBA matchup is drawing lots of eyes from around the sports world, including from the world of sports betting, Over at BetMGM, some of the prop bets listed on the board for Clark’s debut game against the Connecticut Sun are:

Points 20.5: Over +100/Under -135
Rebounds 4.5: Over -120/Under -110
Assists: 6.5: Over -105/ Under -125
Three-pointers made 3.5: Over -135/Under +105

While Clark’s record-breaking stats at Iowa may not immediately show up on her WNBA stat sheet, the No. 1 pick is expected to put up some numbers as she makes the transition to the pros.

Yahoo Sports Staff

Caitlin Clark isn’t the only No. 1 overall pick taking the floor tonight for the Fever. Aliyah Boston, who the fever took first overall in 2023, is coming off a Rookie of the Year campaign in which she also made the WNBA All-Star Game. The team is hopeful to build around the the winners of the last three Naismith Player of the Year awards in Indy.

This one is for the sneakerheads —

While Caitlin Clark will have her own signature shoe as part of her eight-year, $28 million endorsement deal with Nike, she’s lacing up in her first regular season game with a pair of Nike Kobe Protro 6 in the now-iconic “Grinch” colorway that the late, great NBA icon Kobe Bryant debuted on Christmas Day in 2010. Clark often took the court in the Kobe 5 “Bruce Lee” colorway during her time at Iowa.