WNBA's Caitlin Clark on Preseason Debut with Fever: Great Atmosphere for Women's Game

Caitlin Clark's WNBA journey has begun after the former Iowa star made her Indiana Fever debut Friday night in a preseason matchup with the Dallas Wings.

After the 79-76 loss, Clark commended the atmosphere on the road and said her first game was everything she expected.

"I thought we played really hard. Just a great atmosphere for women's basketball," Clark told ESPN after the game. "I think it's a good kickoff to the WNBA season. I think the way we played, I think there were some things we could have executed a little better, I thought we could have got into our offense a little better. The pace was amazing. That's fun basketball people like to watch. Overall, definitely what I expected."

It was a solid WNBA debut for the No. 1 overall pick despite the loss. Clark posted 21 points as the Fever fell just short of the win. As the regular season approaches, Clark and Indiana will look to clean things up and make some adjustments.

"I think just the little things. I think knowing when to push in transition and knowing when to slow up and run our offense a little bit better," Clark said. "I think overall, our defense was pretty good, I thought we could have gotten better in some areas. I thought we could've passed the ball a little bit better. But overall, a lot to learn from. This is a good learning experience for us."

Clark enters the 2024 with high expectations, but her preseason debut shows promise that she can fulfill them. She and former Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston are looking to lead the Fever to a turnaround after Indiana missed the postseason for a seventh consecutive season in 2023.