Caitlin Clark and the record she set in her WNBA debut despite bitter defeat

Caitlin Clark‘s WNBA debut reflected both the player’s immense talent and the changes she needs to account for as she embarks on a new chapter in pro basketball.

Clark started and played 32 minutes for the Indiana Fever against the powerhouse Connecticut Sun. But while she led her team with 20 points and knocked down four 3-pointers, Clark also set an unfortunate debut record as the Fever fell, 92-71, at Mohegan Sun Arena

Clark sets a record she did not want

Clark’s loose and lightning-fast playing style occasionally led to turnover problems when she played for the Iowa Hawkeyes. The issue popped up in her first WNBA challenge on Tuesday night, as she set a record for the most turnovers by a rookie playing in their first game.

Clark also set a Fever franchise record for turnovers with 10 — compared to only three assists. Sun guard DiJonai Carrington stuck to Clark like glue and imparted a lesson to the two-time Naismith National Player of the Year: the WNBA is a different ballgame.

Expectations for Clark in the WNBA are sky-high after the scoring records she broke in college — and the attention she brought to women’s basketball. But the learning curve for young guards especially can be a bit steep when they enter the WNBA, as they are thrown into games against bigger, stronger women who have been playing professionally — domestically and overseas — for several years already.

Clark dealt with some of that physicality for the first time on Tuesday night, and the Fever — as well as the scores of fans who are new to the WNBA — will hope she turns this negative experience into a positive one. Clark’s scoring ability still shone through in the 21-point defeat, but the road doesn’t get easier for the Fever — Indiana‘s next opponent is the New York Liberty, last season’s WNBA Finals runners-up.