Caitlin Clark did all she may to assist the Indiana Fever stave off elimination. It simply wasn’t sufficient.
The sensational rookie scored 25 factors and had 9 assists in Indiana’s 87-81 loss to Connecticut in Game 2. A a lot better evening than her playoff debut when she had simply 11 factors on 4 of 17 capturing.
Clark had a record-breaking season on and off the courtroom. She broke the single-season help document in addition to setting the league’s particular person recreation mark. The unanimous AP Rookie of the Year additionally broke the rookie document for factors in a season.
“I’m a tricky grader. I really feel like I had a stable 12 months,” Clark mentioned. “For me, the enjoyable half is like I really feel like I’m simply scratching the floor and I’m the one which’s nit selecting each single factor I do. I do know I would like to assist this franchise. … I do know there’s loads of room for me to proceed to enhance so that is what excites me probably the most. I really feel like I proceed to get loads higher.”
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Now she’ll have a while to loosen up, get well and take into consideration her 12 months. With the exception of the Olympic break, Clark had little time to relaxation going straight from faculty to the WNBA draft to the professionals.
“Basketball has consumed my life for a 12 months. It will likely be good to replicate again on all the pieces that occurred,” Clark mentioned. “I didn’t have time to replicate on my faculty profession, it ended so quick. I gave all the pieces to my group and helped this group get again to the playoffs. I really feel like taking a while to myself and having fun with that and reflecting again.”
Indiana rebounded from a 1-8 begin to make the playoffs for the primary time since 2016.
“It was particular. A whole lot of issues this group completed folks that didn’t suppose was potential after the beginning we had to the season,” she mentioned. “It will certainly be just a little bizarre for the primary couple weeks after which I’ll get bored and choose up a basketball once more.”
RELATED STORY | The Caitlin Clark Effect: How the rookie phenom is remodeling the WNBA
Off the courtroom, Clark and her fellow rookies have been a scores and attendance boon for the WNBA. Despite the blowout loss in Game 1, followers tuned in as the sport averaged 1.8 million viewers in accordance to ESPN, making it the WNBA’s most watched playoff recreation because the 2000 Finals. It was probably the most watched playoff recreation on ESPN ever regardless of going up towards the NFL.
Six completely different league tv companions set viewership data this 12 months for its highest seen WNBA recreation. All of these video games included the Fever.
Thanks to Clark, Indiana led the league in attendance each at house and on the street. The Fever averaged 17,036 at house and over 15,000 on the street. Four groups moved house video games to greater arenas when Indiana got here to city to accommodate extra followers.
