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There will be better days for Caitlin Clark in the WNBA.
Her Indiana Fever lost their home opener 102-66 to the New York Liberty on Thursday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
They are now 0-2 on the season after a difficult start against two potential title contenders in the Liberty and Connecticut Sun.
Clark dealt with foul trouble and finished with nine points, seven rebounds, six assists and three turnovers while shooting 2-of-8 from the field and 1-of-7 from deep. She was no match for Breanna Stewart, who stuffed the stat sheet with 31 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks.
Social media reacted to the performance:
All eyes were on Clark for this one for multiple reasons.
After all, it was the first chance for Indiana fans to see her take the court at home in the regular season after the franchise made her the No. 1 selection of the 2024 WNBA draft. But it was also an opportunity for her to bounce back after an up-and-down first game of her career that saw the Fever lose to the Sun by 21 points.
Clark had 20 points in that one but also turned it over 10 times while shooting just 5-of-15 from the field. But bouncing back against a loaded Liberty squad that features Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones, among others, was anything but an easy task.
And that was on full display right from the start, as New York jumped out to a 17-point halftime lead with Stewart leading the way. Indiana had no answer for the two-time MVP whether she was shooting from the outside, attacking off the bounce or scoring on the blocks.
New York’s defense also swarmed Clark wherever she went, and she had to spend time on the bench in the second half as she found herself in foul trouble.
There were at least some positive moments, as No. 22 drilled a stepback three, facilitated when additional attention came her way and battled for boards from the backcourt. Indiana even went on a run during the third quarter with the rookie spearheading part of it.
Unfortunately for the home team, the Liberty weren’t messing around at winning time and opened the fourth quarter on a 12-0 run to put the game away. They simply had too much star power for a rebuilding Fever team and spoiled the party of Clark’s home opener.
Indiana doesn’t get much of a break, either, and faces the Liberty again on Saturday, only this time in New York.
