Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark Has Forgettable Debut vs. Connecticut Sun

Tuesday was a big night for Indiana Fever star guard Caitlin Clark. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft was making her much anticipated regular season debut on the road against the Connecticut Sun.

Not surprisingly, the game was drawing a ton of attention. After huge crowds followed the Indiana Fever during the preseason, the same happened on Tuesday. The Sun announced they sold out a home opener for the first time in 21 years, as the Caitlin Clark effect is real.

Unfortunately for the fans in Connecticut, they didn’t witness the normal Caitlin Clark effect on the court. She picked up two fouls early on, which relegated her to the bench after going 0-for-3 to start the game.

Turnovers would plague her for the game. She committed 10 in the game, as her WNBA regular season debut did not go as planned. After the game, she handled things like a true veteran, saying it was only one game and she would learn from the mistakes made.

“I’m disappointed, and nobody likes to lose, but I don’t think you can beat yourself up too much about one game,” Clark said. “I don’t think that’s going to help this team.

“Just learn from it and move on.”

With the Iowa start not having much of a positive impact, the Indiana Fever were run out of the arena. The Sun defeated them 92-71, as their veteran-laden team took full advantage of a young Indiana squad still looking to find their way as pros.

Alyssa Thomas recorded her 12th career triple-double, scoring 13 points with 13 assists and 10 rebounds. DeWanna Bonner led the way with 20 points, as Connecticut made the most of all the turnovers the Indiana Fever committed.

Overall, the Fever had 25 turnovers, as their youth showed. Caitlin Clark did lead the team with 20 points scored, including 4-of-11 from 3-point range, with three assists and two steals.

It was a tough debut, but she and the Fever will be back at it on Thursday night. That will be their first home game of the season, as they will be hosting the star-laden New York Liberty at 7 p.m. ET on Prime Video.