Caitlin Clark has officially made her WNBA preseason debut and she did not disappoint.
The 22-year-old Indiana Fever rookie scored 21 points in the May 3 matchup between the Fever and the Dallas Wings.
Though Indiana lost 79-76 against Dallas, Clark showed out for an impressive performance, tying for the most points scored in the game with Wings rookie guard Jaelyn Brown.
“You couldn’t ask for a better game, really, for women’s basketball to kick off this year,” Clark said to reporters in postgame interviews. “A tremendous game coming down to the wire, both teams competing. That’s going to be the story of the entire year.”
Clark broke down how she and the team played, saying that while there's "a lot to learn," they should also feel accomplished.
“My biggest goal coming into tonight was to continue to be myself, play aggressive,” Clark said. “I thought that’s what I did. I think there’s a lot to be proud of.”
Before the game, Clark said she was looking at her preseason opener as a learning opportunity and planned to give herself grace.
“The pressure’s always been there, whether I’ve been in college or now that I’m starting my WNBA career," she said. "I think just go about it the same way I always do, prepare the same way, have the same confidence and belief in myself. But also, I get to play with such great talent — it’s not just me out there.”
After a matchup against the Atlanta Dream on May 9, the Fever will hit the road for their regular-season opener May 14 against the Connecticut Sun. Until then, Clark said the team will be preparing.
“There’s a lot of good to take away from (Friday's game). At the same time, it’s preseason game, so don’t get too disappointed by it,” Clark said. “Just go back and watch the film, learn from it and get ready for our next one.”
Clark finished her collegiate career with the Iowa Hawkeyes as the all-time leading scorer, male or female, in NCAA Division I basketball history, with 3,951 points and tallying 1,144 assists, two national player of the year honors and two national runner-up finishes. She was also named the Big Ten player of the year for the third consecutive season last month.
After her legendary run with Iowa, the school announced that they would be retiring her jersey this year.
“There will never be another @CaitlinClark22 & there will never be another 22,” the Iowa women’s basketball team tweeted on April 10. “The #Hawkeyes will retire Clark’s No. 22.”
