Following her return from a quad strain, Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever won two straight games, moving to above .500 to begin the 2025 WNBA season.
However, that came crashing down after Clark and the Fever fell to her former Iowa Hawkeyes teammate, Kate Martin, and the Golden State Valkyries 88-77 on Tuesday night.
Clark and Martin had been teammates at Iowa from 2020 to 2024, becoming good friends in the process. The two have maintained their friendship throughout their WNBA careers, even after battling three times since last season.
Before the game, Clark discussed a dinner she had with Martin the night before and apologized for her possible mispronunciation of the restaurant.
"I went to dinner with Kate last night, so we went to Che Fico?" Clark asked. "I don’t know if I’m pronouncing that right, so I apologize. But it was really good!"
Clark also added that she wishes she had more time in the Bay Area, speaking highly of the weather.
"I wish I had more time here," she added. "It's beautiful. The weather is nice. I didn't realize how windy it was going to be. But yeah, it's awesome, and it's going to be fun to keep coming back here for years to come.”
caitlin on her first time in san francisco:
— cc akgae (@clrkszn) June 20, 2025
“i went to dinner with kate last night so we went to che fico (?) i don’t know if i’m pronouncing that right, so i apologize. but it was really good! i wish i had more time here—it’ll be fun to keep coming back here for years to come.” pic.twitter.com/kdT4PGjr36
Clark had one of her worst shooting performances of the season, tallying 11 points on 3-of-14 shooting and 0-of-7 from distance, seven rebounds and nine assists. She also had six turnovers. Martin, on the other hand, recorded 20 minutes off the bench, notching nine points on 4-of-7 shooting and five rebounds.
Clark and the Fever now drop to 6-6 on the season and have a long road trip ahead of them. They will get A'ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. ET. Then, they will be facing the Seattle Storm on Tuesday at 10:00 p.m. ET.
Martin and the Valkyries also move to 6-6 and finish the first of five straight home games. Up next, the Connecticut Sun on Sunday at 8:30 p.m. ET.
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