Caitlin ClarkHer preseason WNBA debut was a lot like her final year at Iowa State. I hit a set of 3 and did it in front of a sold out crowd.
But it didn’t end in victory.
Just weeks after playing in the NCAA Championship game, Clark made her WNBA debut for the Indiana fever Friday night in a preseason game vs Dallas Wings. She hit a three-pointer in the first quarter and scored a game-high 21 points.
But that wasn’t enough to win an All-Star title Eric Ogunbowale He sank the Fever with a step-back 3-pointer with 3 seconds remaining Wings win 79-76.
Clark had a contested look to tie Game 3, but was wide of the mark when the buzzer sounded.
The road crowd greets Clark with cheers
A crowd of 7,000 people came to College Park Center in Arlington, Texas to watch Clark’s debut. They gave a raucous cheer for her game-day debut as a WNBA player.
It didn’t take long for Clarke to give fans what they paid to see. Less than a minute into the game, Clark pulled up from behind the arc on the right wing for her first three-point attempt in a WNBA uniform. She sank the net for a 5-2 lead.
Minutes later she did it again. Her second 3 extended Indiana’s first-quarter lead to 14-3. Then she fouled out on a 3-point shot and hit 2 of 3 free throws to extend the Fever’s lead to 16-9 midway through the first.
Her third made a 3 with 2:55 left in the quarter and put up the fellow rookie and former Ohio State guard Jesse Sheldon (No. 5 Beck) on the floor. It took its former Big Ten rival down the court to get open, then pulled away from the top of the arc.
The officials didn’t see enough contact to warrant a whistle, and a Clark 3 extended Indiana’s lead to 19-15. Then she took her first break on the bench. When she left the game, she had scored 11 of Indiana’s 19 points while hitting 3 of 4 3s.
When she returned early in the second quarter, she picked up right where she left off. This time, she took a step back 3 over two-time All-Star Natasha Clarke.
Before halftime, she showed off the playmaking skills that made her the NCAA’s assists leader as well as its leading scorer last season. She did so alongside last year’s No. 1 overall pick and reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year Aaliyah Boston.
Midway through the second quarter, Clark drove to the top of the key and drew a double team, allowing Boston to break free to attack the rim. Clark found Boston with a bounce pass through traffic that led to an open layup.
A foul problem limited Clark after halftime. She picked up her third and fourth fouls on consecutive possessions in the third quarter and went to the bench midway through the quarter without hitting a bucket in the second half.
Caitlin Clark caught fire from the 3 in her WNBA preseason debut. (Gregory Shamos/Getty Images)
It came back with 6:55 left in the fourth and Indiana led 62-60. It gave Indiana its fifth lead of Game 3, 67-65.
But Ogunbowale’s late heroics spoiled her debut and sealed the win for Dallas.
Clark finished with 21 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals. She shot 6 of 15 from the floor and 5 of 13 from beyond the arc.
Undrafted rookie Jaylen Brown led Dallas with 21 points and five rebounds. Ogunbowale had 19 points, three rebounds and three assists. Her game winner was the only one she hit from a long distance in seven attempts.
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Caitlin Clarke leads Fever in her debut
Although it’s not an official contest, Clark’s 20-point streak continues in her first preseason appearance in the WNBA. She scored a team-high 21 points, most of them on 5-of-13 outings from beyond the arc. She shot 40% overall and was 4 of 5 from the free throw line. The point guard hasn’t scored fewer than 20 points in a game since December 2022.
The assists (two) weren’t as easy as the threes and it will take time for the chemistry to develop with Boston (eight points, 4-10 FG). Clark added three rebounds and two steals, as well as a game-high five turnovers in 28:10 of playing time.
This game felt like a regular season contest from start to finish and the atmosphere was great. It’s going to get tougher as the games pile up against bigger and stronger defenders every night, but Clark has proven any doubters wrong. They will be fine in the pros and Indiana will be a fun team to watch as the season progresses.
Clark told four-time WNBA champion Cheryl Swoopes in a postgame interview that she thought it was a “good start to the WNBA season” and praised the atmosphere. There are little things you want to clean
“These are good learning experiences for us,” Clark said. “That doesn’t count [in the standings]. [We’ll] Go back and watch the movie — the movie doesn’t lie — and learn from it.”
Clark throws it in for a final shot to try and tie it up from the corner. It didn’t work out, but what a WNBA debut for the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer.
Arike goes cold turkey in the final minutes of games (as college game fans know all too well). She put Dallas ahead, 79-76, with a sloppy backhand 3. Three seconds on the clock
Arike Ogunbowale would like to have the word. She tied the match at 76 with a floater in the final minute. Clark tries a foul 3, Wheeler rebounds, Clark drives on a clear route and is denied by Natasha Howard. Clark calls for a foul — her first late-game call for contact as a pro — but it’s Howard’s third block of the night.
Tie game, 26.7 seconds on the clock in what doesn’t feel like a preseason contest at all
Clark blocked her shot with 26.7 points left to tie the score at 76. But there were only two seconds left on the shot clock…
Clark is on the FT line with the game tied at 74 with 1:15 remaining. It drowns them both
I really like that Sides left their starters here in a close game, even though it is a preseason opener. WNBA training camp is a small window and the Fever’s opening schedule is tough (Connecticut, New York, Seattle, Las Vegas). Put them in the position now when it doesn’t matter in the standings and build from there.
Clark extended her game to a high with five turnovers. Many in passes are very ambitious.
Sure, 3 more, why not. Clark hits the inside ball with an assist from Erica Wheeler. Up to 19 points on 5-of-10 shooting from 3-point range.
The sides go back to their starters at 6:26 of the fourth quarter.
Clark is on the bench to start the fourth quarter. The only fever starter there is NaLyssa Smith. We’ll see if she sees more time tonight, or if Sides decides to see how the players at the bottom of the depth chart handle a close game in the fourth quarter. Indiana lost 16 games by single digits last year, which is a growing pain considering the youth on the team.
Such a beautiful pull-up by Jaelyn Brown on her seventh set of the game. She reached a game-high 17 points in Dallas and looks like a confident and comfortable vet out there. If Brown doesn’t make the Wings’ roster, she’ll likely get some tough contracts throughout the season to fill seven-day and 10-day stints.
Clark heads to the bench after picking up her fourth foul with 4:50 left in the third quarter.
This was Clark’s fourth turnover on another good defensive play for Dallas. There were times at Iowa State that turnovers piled up and the focus will be on improving throughout the season against better defenders than I faced in college.
“Hold, shoot, from DFW.”
I see everyone has their calls set up for their remote site.
Clark is there at the beginning of the second half…
Fever in half
It will be interesting to see how much playing time Clark will get in the second half. The Fever has 15 players in camp and needs to cut three players before the season opens on May 14. There is one more preseason game on the schedule next week at home. Head coach Christy Sides would likely want to see more of these players in the mix for final roster spots.
The trio of NaLyssa Smith (16:31), Aliyah Boston (17:33) and Clark (16:05) each played at least five more minutes than any other Fever player in the first half. All are locks for the team and starting positions. Kelsey Mitchell (out left ankle) and Katie Lou Samuelson (out right ankle and returning from maternity leave) will fill out the projected starting lineup upon their return.
At halftime, the Fever led 48-40, with Clark scoring 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting (4-of-8 from 3).
