Those not fortunate enough to witness Caitlin Clark’s WNBA debut in person were glued to their televisions Tuesday night. It was a story of highs and lows.
The former collegiate phenom that has WNBA teams selling out tickets like hotcakes excelled in certain areas, and came up woefully short in others. Hence, the life of a rookie in professional ball.
Caitlin Clark delivered on the promise bestowed upon her by scoring a team-high 20 points. However, she also set an ignominious league record by committing 10 turnovers in a league debut as her Indiana Fever were blown out 92-71 by the Connecticut Sun Tuesday night.
In a game that gained international attention, the Fever rookie showed moments of brilliance. Yet, the turnover total showed that she has a long ways to go to integrate herself to her teammates as well as the WNBA game in general.
Caitlin Clark Finds WNBA Much Different Than NCAA
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The WNBA’s No. 1 draft pick found out just how far it is from Iowa to Indiana. Entering the game after nearly two months of anticipation and fanfare, Caitlin Clark found the pro game far more difficult than the cruise control she was in for the final two-plus seasons with the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Facing defensive prowess seldom seen during her time in Iowa City, Caitlin Clark struggled mightily against her counterpart — Sun guard DiJonai Carrington. After the first half, the Fever rookie was just 2-for-7 from the field while committing five of her team’s 13 turnovers.
Carrington not only covered Caitlin Clark like a wet blanket, she also outscored the rookie for much of the game. Caitlin Clark needed a second-half surge to outscore Carrington 20-16, but along the way coughed up another five turnovers.
Tuesday Night Shows Caitlin Clark Still Has Much to Learn
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It was far from a flop, but Caitlin Clark’s debut left much to be desired. While she tied for the game’s top scorer with Connecticut’s DeWanna Bonner, she failed to help the team put much of any scare into the hosts.
The Sun led throughout the contest. While the Fever made the game briefly close by the end of the third quarter, Indiana as a whole looked relatively helpless in the final stanza. Connecticut outscored the visitors in both the first and second quarters before Indiana took the edge, 18-16, in the third. The hosts responded by nearly doubling up the visitors, 27-14, in the final frame to claim the 21-point victory.
Caitlin Clark Makes Home Debut Saturday
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Things don’t get any easier for Caitlin Clark and her Fever teammates this weekend. A sellout crowd will greet the team and their hope-for savior on Saturday when Indiana hosts the 2023 WNBA runner-up New York Liberty on Saturday.
The Liberty featured a stellar roster culled from many a WNBA roster prior to last season. Many a fan will be keying in on a prospective matchup between Caitlin Clark and Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu. Ionescu was also a No. 1 draft pick, going first in the 2020 draft.
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Tom Carothers is a sportswriter with more than 20 years of experience covering sports at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels. Still longing for the return of his Minnesota North Stars, he has a high pain tolerance as a big fan of the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Browns, and Tottenham Hotspur.
Tom is the WNBA Content Manager for Total Apex Sports. He is also well versed in covering MLB, NFL, NHL, as well as MLS and EPL.
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