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The Indiana Fever and star Caitlin Clark get their first win at home inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse Saturday afternoon as they beat the Chicago Sky consisting of fellow rookie Angel Reese, 71-70. It was a game filled with a ton of storylines, most of them involving Clark, but she also spoke after the game about the victory for her team as they break a three-game losing streak.
Clark would score 11 points as she made four of her 11 attempts from the field to go along with eight rebounds and six assists. As for her first-year counterpart in Reese, she contributed eight points with a game-high 13 rebounds. The Iowa women's basketball product expressed that the win was gratifying as they got to give their home crowd, something worth the wait.
“Was really good,” Clark said. “I'm happy for our fans first home one nice to get it done in the commissioners cup, now we just keep stringing them along.”
Caitlin Clark describes getting their first home win of the szn and for the Commissioner’s Cup presented by @coinbase 🤝
Clark who had 11 PTS, 8 REB, 6 AST also talks about how her team remained resilient to come away with the 71-70 win#WelcometotheW pic.twitter.com/1dKnvPgqMQ
— WNBA (@WNBA) June 1, 2024
Clark talks how the Fever got their second win of the year against the Sky
It was a close game for the Fever to come out of it with a win, but a deserving one as each player in the starting lineup scored in the double digits besides Clark. The 22-year old credited the way her team “executed down the stretch” and even went as far as to tout their resilience as “when things didn't go our way, we just got it done.”
“Yeah, I think we like just executed down the stretch was huge, came up with big plays,” Clark said. “Even when things didn't go our way, we just got it done.”
A controversial hit to Clark during the Fever's win is going viral
So far on the season, Clark is averaging 17.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game while shooting 37.7 percent from the field. However, the win over the Sky was not the biggest news from the afternoon as a hit from Chennendy Carter towards the end of the third quarter as everybody talking.
As Clark was awaiting an inbound pass, Carter is seen to willingly shoulder check Clark which prompted her to go to the ground looking at the official for a foul. Clark was asked after the game about the hit from the Sky star and said bluntly that it was “not a basketball play.”
“Yeah, that’s just not a basketball play,” Clark said. “But you know I’ve gotta play through it, that’s what basketball is about at this level. I thought we’ve been really physical, we’ve missed some bunnies around the rim, so hopefully those fall in the fourth.”
“I wasn’t expecting that,” Clark continued. “But it’s just like, ‘Respond, calm down and let your play do the talking.’ It is what it is … Go make the free throw and then execute on offense.”
Extra physicality towards Clark
Even before Saturday afternoon's game, there has been a discussion in the sports world about players in the WNBA being more physical to Clark than others and Carter proved that more than ever. Clark has said before that she feels like she is getting “hammered” out there, but when Carter was asked about the hit, she was unwilling to go into detail.
“I ain’t answering no Caitlin Clark questions,” Carter said via ClutchPoints' Fever reporter Matthew Byrne.
Chennedy Carter on the sequence with Caitlin Clark in the 3rd quarter: “I ain’t answering no Caitlin Clark questions.”
Full clip: pic.twitter.com/4bRnyXgPjV
— Matthew Byrne (@MatthewByrne1) June 1, 2024
Reese spoke before the matchup with Clark and talked about how both and especially the rest of the rookie class are adapting to the physicality of the WNBA. She would say that her and Clark have done a “great job” as the two have major history going back to college.
“I think all of the rookies have done a great job, being able to elevate and go to the next level, allow us to translate,” Reese said, per ESPN. “I think we have all done a great job, especially me and Caitlin.”
In terms of that history, Clark and the Iowa women's basketball team faced off against Reese and the LSU women's basketball team the past two national tournaments where each got a win over the other. However, it was different in each season as the first contest was for the national title which LSU won and last season was in the Elite Eight where Clark got the upper hand.
“You can't take a play off, these vets, they are really really good,” Reese added about the physicality of the WNBA. “Everybody is really good in this league.”
Still has been a frustrating season for Clark and Indiana despite win
The physicality will not stop, especially against Clark and the Fever as they have a heavy target on their back despite only winning two games. This was even addressed by Fever head coach Christie Sides who said after their loss to the Seattle Storm that “we've got to get some of those calls” according to The Athletic.
“We’ve just got to get better with the officiating,” Sides said. “We’ve got to get some of those calls. I feel like they’re getting some calls that’s happening on our end as well and I just don’t feel like we’re getting some of those.”
While she has addressed the toughness against her on multiple occasions, Clark is taking it on the chin and moving on. She credits that specific loss to a breakdown in the third quarter where “our defensive rotations were bad.”
“The third quarter was when we lost the game,” Clark said. “I just thought our defensive rotations were bad. … It’s not really about our offense. It was our defense. You’re not going to win a basketball game giving up 103.”
In any sense, the Fever beat the Sky as they are now only 2-8 on the season with Clark still trying to get a handle on the professional style of women's basketball. Their next game will be the third outing against the New York Liberty, who are 6-2 and have won both games against the Fever, which will take place Sunday night airing on NBA TV as Indiana looks to build a streak.
