The 2024 WNBA season has not gone according to plan for the Indiana Fever. No. 1 overall pick Caitlin Clark has struggled at points in her adjustment to the pros. On Friday night against the Los Angeles Sparks, it was more of the same.
Caitlin Clark missed her first seven 3-point attempts of the game and had only five points heading into crunch time. But, with the game still within reach, she recaptured some of the Iowa magic.
With the Indiana Fever holding onto a slim three-point lead with 2:24 remaining, Caitlin Clark took one of her patented step-back 3-pointers. From 33 feet away she found nothing but the bottom of the net to give her team some breathing room.
“I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing, but I seriously think every shot I shoot is going to go in,” Clark said. “Some nights are absolutely amazing and some nights you struggle to shoot it a little bit, but I want to take those shots at the end of the game. I think it’s a mindset and a confidence that you have to have about yourself.”
That was only the beginning. All it takes is for one shot to go in and Clark is in the zone. The Los Angeles Sparks learned that the hard way, as the former Iowa star sunk another deep 3-pointer to give the Indiana Fever a five-point lead with under a minute remaining.
This one was from *only* 28 feet away, but the result was the same; nothing but net. It was a feeling of elation and relief getting the monkey off their back, as the Indiana Fever won their first game of the season.
“We’ve been so close,” Fever coach Christie Sides said. “We just stayed poised.”
At halftime, the Los Angeles Sparks held an 11-point lead. Their defense was smothering, but the Indiana Fever adjusted. While her shot wasn’t falling, Caitlin Clark made an impact in other ways, grabbing a career-high 10 rebounds and handing out eight assists.
“I thought I played a really good game other than [shooting],” Clark said. “Whether I was rebounding, finding my teammates, I thought I was really active on defense, so I didn’t let that bother me, and that’s something I’m really proud of.”
The Indiana Fever won’t have much time to relish this victory. They are back at it on the road Saturday night against the two-time defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces.
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