A 1-8 start is never a good thing. That being said, it wasn't all bad for the Indiana Fever.
Indiana was 1-6 coming into this one. After a loss to the reigning WNBA Champions, the Las Vegas Aces, the Fever were hoping to get back on track at home against the Los Angeles Sparks-- the only team Indiana had been able to beat at that point.
While the Fever ultimately lost the game, Caitlin Clark had her best performance as a pro at that point in the season.
Both teams struggled out of the gate, but Clark was finding her groove early. On both sides of the ball, the Iowa Hawkeye found ways to contribute. She would finish the first half with 14 of the Fever's 32 first half points, and Clark hit a couple of three's in the process.
Clark also blocked LA's Dearica Hamby in the second quarter, showing off that defensive ability that had escaped her for much of the season early on. Clark would finish with three blocks, which would end up being her best mark of the season in that category.
Clark thrived at the charity stripe
The second half saw Clark score mainly from the free throw line. 13 of her 16 second half points came from the charity stripe, and the contribution was one of the few bits of offense Indiana could muster. The Fever had a two-point lead halfway through the third quarter, but head coach Christie Sides decided to give Clark a rest. As a result, the Sparks regained the lead-- and would not give it up for the remainder.
Clark finished with 30 points, five rebounds, six assists, three blocks, and three steals. Talk about filling up the stat sheet.
While this game did not result in a win, this was the game where Clark started to mature as a professional basketball player. She struggled at times from deep, so she focused on defense and distributed the ball to her teammates. She let the game come to her rather than forcing the issue, and as a result got to the line for 15 free throws.
It was the beginning of a truly remarkable season for the eventual WNBA Rookie of the Year.