Caitlin Clark made her WNBA postseason debut on Sunday, scoring 11 points—significantly lower than her season average of 19.2 points per game. She struggled with her shooting, hitting only 24% of her attempts and 15% from three-point range, both of which are below her season averages of 42% and 34%.
During the third quarter of her team’s 93-69 loss to the Connecticut Sun, Clark expressed her frustration by hitting the bench. Adding to her challenges, she sustained a black eye in the first quarter after being poked near her right eye by DiJonai Carrington while making a pass to teammate Aliyah Boston. Clark doubled over in pain on the floor, but no foul was called. Despite the injury, she refused to attribute her performance to it.
“Got me pretty good in the eye. I don’t think it affected me, honestly,” Clark stated after the game. “I felt like I got good shots; they just didn’t go down. Obviously a tough time for that to happen.” She further commented, “Obviously it didn’t feel too good when it happened, but it is what it is.”
The contact appeared to be unintentional. Earlier in the season, Carrington had seemingly mocked Clark for her reaction to a foul call. That same week, she criticized Clark on X for saying she doesn’t “put too much thought and time into thinking about” those who use her name to discuss issues such as racism and misogyny.
Clark, who is the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer, was selected first overall by the Fever in this year’s WNBA draft. The team faced difficulties early in the season but rebounded after the league’s Olympic break, finishing with a 9-5 record to secure their first postseason berth since 2016.
In addition to her scoring struggles, Clark set a WNBA record with 337 assists this season but also led the league with an average of 5.6 turnovers per game. On Sunday, she recorded eight assists, aligning closely with her season average of 8.4, while committing only two turnovers.
“I felt like I battled and tried my best and took care of the ball better than I usually do, which is a positive,” Clark said.
The Fever face a critical moment in their season, as one more loss will end their playoff run. Game 2 is scheduled for Wednesday in Uncasville, Connecticut. If necessary, a decisive Game 3 will be held Friday in Indianapolis.
“We can win,” Clark asserted. “It’s not anything about the building. It’s not about the gym. It’s not about the hoops. I have all the confidence in the world in this team, and everybody in the locker room does, and I know we’ll be a lot better on Wednesday.”
