Smothering defense by the Connecticut Sun torpedoed the much anticipated pro basketball debut of Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark.
The two-time national player of the year struggled for much of her first WNBA regular-season game as Clark labored for each of her 20 points in Connecticut’s convincing 92-71 victory.
In the Sun’s first home-opener sellout since 2003, fans at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville divided their allegiance by cheering for both the hometown team and Clark in the most celebrated pro introduction in women’s basketball history.
The building roared when Clark drilled each of her four 3-pointers but highlights were hard to come by. Connecticut forced the Fever guard into a game-high 10 turnovers and kept her to just a trio of assists.
She picked up a pair touch fouls in the first quarter, leading to an early break on the bench. And when Clark was on the floor, Connecticut’s DiJonai Carrington and her teammates gave the 2024 No. 1 draft pick little room to operate.
Clark didn’t score her first points until there was 5:24 left in the second quarter. The rookie gained a little more offensive footing in the second half, scoring 13 points after intermission.
But turnovers were still an issue, with five giveaways in each half.
Carrington insisted Tuesday’s defensive lockdown of Clark was just another day at the office, no matter the national spotlight shined on Mohegan Sun Arena.
“This is what they expect from me every night whether it’s Caitlin or whoever we’re playing,” she said. “This is the expectation, this is the standard.”
Carrington’s strong game was only marred by leg cramps that sent her to the locker room for a portion of the second half.
“I got to hydrate better so that’s on me, less coffee,” she laughed.
Meanwhile, Connecticut veteran DeWanna Bonner scored 20 points and climbed to No. 5 on the WNBA’s all-time scoring list.
Indiana is pinning its hopes on Clark as the franchise seeks to improve on a league-worst 13-27 record last season.
The Fever’s home opener is set for Thursday against last year’s WNBA runner-up, the New York Liberty, at 7 p.m. ET at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
That game will be streamed on Amazon Prime and aired locally on NBC affiliate WTHR in Indianapolis and WWOR in and around New York City.
This story first appeared on NBCNews.com.
