‘ in Fever’s loss to Aces: Caitlin Clark discusses her genuine feelings

INDIANAPOLIS: Guard Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever was exhausted on Wednesday night. At the podium after the 86-75 loss to the Las Vegas Aces, she stated as much. Clark had her best shooting performance of the season, going 6-for-22 from the field. Her percentage of 1-for-10 from outside the arc is the lowest she’s had in any game thus far. To put it plainly, the Rookie of the Year had a bad night.
“It’s gonna happen, it’s basketball,” Clark said afterward. “Overall, like, I didn’t feel like I played bad. I felt as a group we really struggled to make shots that we had been making, really, since the start of the second half… they’re gonna be physical with me… that can kind of wear you down throughout the process of the game… I subbed myself out right there in the first quarter.”

Right under seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, with the Fever trailing by six points, Clark dueled with Aces’ guard Chelsea Gray. Clark began to drive to the basket and cut back. Gray wasn’t quite fooled. So, Clark drove once more, and bumped back into Gray in the paint presumably to get the and-1 call. Gray sank to the floor. The refs ruled it as an offensive foul.

Clark couldn’t believe it, loading the ball behind her neck, as if she were about to heave it far soccer style. She didn’t launch it, and let the ball drop at her waist. Teammate Temi Fagbenle walked over to make sure the refs didn’t slap on the potential sixth technical foul of the season for the rookie. While distanced, Clark raised her arms up and appeared to say, “that’s so bad.”

In the second quarter, Clark shook her head and smiled when whistled for an offensive foul.