Caitlin Clark took the blame for Indiana Fever‘s Game 1 loss, a deflating 93-69 blowout loss to the Connecticut Sun in their best-of-three WNBA playoff series on September 22.
Clark said she was to blame for Marina Mabrey’s historic scoring night for the Sun.
“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 exploded for 27 points, the most by any WNBA player who came off the bench in a playoff game. The Sun’s 5-foot-11 guard hit five 3-pointers as she made the most out of her opportunity in the series opener.
Mabrey played extended minutes for the Sun after Tyasha Harris left with an injury just four minutes into the game. She hit all his 3-pointers in the second half. She also added three rebounds and three assists.
“As a shooter, once you see two in a row go in, the basket looks huge,” Clark said. “So you can’t allow that.”
Mabrey shot 42.4% from the 3-point range in 16 regular-season games for the Sun after they acquired her from Chicago Sky on July 17.
Game 2 is set on September 25 at the Mohegan Sun Arena, with the Sun looking to finish the series early and move on to the second round.
Caitlin Clark Struggles in Playoff Debut
Clark struggled in her WNBA playoff debut as she only made 4 of 17 shots, including 2 of 13 from the 3-point line.
The Fever star shrugged off her shooting woes.
“My shot felt like it was right there,” Clark said after the game, per Indy Star. “It was frustrating it wouldn’t go down. We battled, we fought. It wasn’t pretty, but we were right there. Cut it to 8 with a few minutes to go in the third. It was up 11 going into the fourth, and we could never claw back into it.”
Kelsey Mitchell led the Fever with 21 points, Aliyah Boston added 17, while Clark finished with only 11 points.
As much as their offense was out of sync, missing 40 of 67 field goal attempts, Clark said they could have still won the game if their defense held up.
Unfortunately, it did not.
The Sun connected on 49.3% of their shots, with Mabrey sparking Connecticut’s offense.
“We had our chances,” Clark said. “We didn’t play well. We didn’t play to the level we’re capable of playing. We didn’t shoot the ball like we were capable of. We’re capable of winning this game without making shots.”
Caitlin Clark Named AP Rookie of the Year
Clark lost in the WNBA MVP race, but she was the Associated Press’ unanimous choice for their Rookie of the Year. The WNBA will announce their official Rookie of the Year winner later this week.
“This recognition wouldn’t be possible without an incredible group of teammates and coaches, and we are looking forward to continuing an exciting regular season in the postseason,” Clark told the AP.
The Fever’s rookie sensation averaged 19.2 points, 8.4 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game in the regular season.
Among the highlights of her historic season is dishing out the most assists for a rookie with 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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