Caitlin Clark addresses the latest WNBA drama surrounding her
USA TODAY Sports’ Christine Brennan asks Caitlin Clark about the extra attention she’s received since joining the league.
Again, the Connecticut Sun Caitlin Clark and The Indiana fever.
The The Suns held off the Fever 89-72 Monday night’s game in Uncasville, Connecticut, was reminiscent of the teams’ first meeting in the WNBA season opener on May 14. The Suns won the game 92-71 despite Clark’s 20 points, but the third meeting between the teams was over. Not great for the Fever and pretty bad for the league’s No. 1 overall pick.
Three days after Clark tied his season high in scoring (30 points) and set a new season high for 3-pointers made (7) in the win over the Mystics, he scored just 10 points on 3-for-8 shooting. Son was limited to one game due to foul trouble and was mostly gone at halftime. Clark had just two assists Monday night and didn’t record a rebound for the first time since that season opener against Connecticut.
Clarke, who has been heavily debated since news broke that he would not play for Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics, picked up his fourth foul midway through the third quarter and was benched for the rest of the game. Most of the Fever’s starters, except for Aaliyah Boston, joined her in the fourth quarter when Connecticut extended its lead to 28 points before Indiana took the lead.
Boston led the Fever with 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Lexi Hull added 10 points and four rebounds off the bench as Indiana fell to 3-10.
Suns forward Alyssa Thomas, who is expected to be named to the 2024 U.S. Olympic team, had seven points but pulled down 18 rebounds, while DeJonai Carrington had 22 points for Connecticut, which improved to 3-0. 2024 against Indiana and is a league-best 10-1 this season.
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Clark scored five points in the opening quarter and the Suns led 26-15. He scored his first basket on a driving layup one minute and 32 seconds into the game. He hit his first 3-pointer at the 5:08 mark and went 2-for-4 in the first quarter.
Clark played the first minute of the second quarter and didn’t take a shot before going to the bench. He re-entered the game with 5:47 to go and promptly hit his second three of the game shortly thereafter. A minute later, Clark hit his first two free throws of the contest.
But the last two minutes of the half were tough for the Fever rookie. Clarke picked up two quick personal fouls and then, with Indiana taking the final shot of the half, Carrington picked up his pocket and then ran down the court for a lay-in at the buzzer as the Suns took a 55-35 lead. Security vault room.
While Clark finished the half with 10 points on 3-of-6 shooting, the Suns outplayed the Fever in almost every way. Connecticut outshot Indiana 9-for-18, and their 61.3 field goal percentage was a season-best, as were their 18 assists. The Fever, meanwhile, shot 43.3% and dished eight assists, while Clark dished just one.
