Caitlin Clark had her “Welcome to the WNBA Playoffs” moment early in Game 1 after Connecticut Sun guard DiJonai Carrington poked her in the eye.
But the Indiana Fever rookie sensation did not use it as an excuse for her poor shooting night in their 93-69 loss to the Sun in Game 1 on September 22.
“Obviously, she got me pretty good in the eye,” Clark told reporters after the loss. “I don’t think it affected me. I got good shots, they didn’t go down. It’s a tough time for that to happen.”
Clark only hit 4 of 17 shots, including a disappointing 2 of 13 from the 3-point range.
The Fever rookie guard said she missed a wide open 3-pointer in the first half that she normally made.
With black eye and all, Clark still tried to focus on the positive things she did.
“I took care of ball better than I usually do (tying her season-low with 2 turnovers).’ Clark said. “We were down 3 at the end of the first (quarter), down 5 (more) in the second quarter and lost the third quarter by 3.”
As much as the Fever struggled collectively to shoot the ball, missing 40 of 67 shots, Clark pinned the blame on their defensive woes for their loss.
“We struggled to get stops,” Clark said. “The (shot) clock kept getting messed up. It was one thing after the next. (Getting poked in the eye) didn’t feel good when it happened but I don’t think it affected me.”
Caitlin Clark Takes Blame For Marina Mabrey’s Historic Night
Sun guard Marina Mabrey came off the bench to spark Connecticut’s offense with 27 points.
It was the most scored by a WNBA player coming off the bench in a playoff game. Mabrey native hit five 3-pointers as she made the biggest difference in the series opener.
Clark took the blame for Mabrey’s scoring explosion.
“Our defense could have been a little bit better,” Clark told reporters after the loss. “Obviously, Marina gets hot and she’s a really good player, but I had a few lapses on the defensive end.”
Mabrey ended up playing starter minutes after Tyasha Harris left with an injury early in the game. Acquired by the Sun from Chicago Sky on July 17, Mabrey had her signature game.
The New Jersey native made all of her 3-pointers in the second half as the Sun pulled away for good. She added three rebounds and three assists in 32 minutes off the bench.
Caitlin Clark Shrugs Off MVP Loss
Clark’s historic rookie season did not end with an MVP trophy. She finished fourth in the MVP balloting as Las Vegas Aces star center A’ja Wilson took home her third MVP award, but her first as the unanimous choice.
Clark just shrugged off the loss, noting that the top individual award is far from her mind.
“I mean, it’s cool, but I don’t really care,” Clark told reporters about her fourth-place finish in MVP voting before Game 1 of their best-of-three playoff series against the Connecticut Sun on September 22. “My life is pretty unaffected by that. I’m just going to go out there and help my team, and honestly our goal was to get to the playoffs. I have a belief that we can come in here and win this series, one game at a time. So I think that’s where my focus is.”
Clark, the No. 1 overall draft pick, broke several WNBA records in her rookie season.
The Fever guard had the most assists for a rookie, dishing out 337. She also broke the single-game record for assists with 19. She also became the first rookie to record a triple-double and hit the most 3-pointers with 122, which is the second-most in any WNBA season by a player.
According to ESPN, Clark’s 337 points were also the most points by any point guard in a single WNBA season. She was also the first WNBA rookie to be named Player of the Month and Rookie of the Month in the same month and to produce 20+ points, 15+ assists and 5+ rebounds in a game.
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