Caitlin Clark Speaks on Indiana Fever’s Slow Start

Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark knew it would take some time to adjust to the WNBA. The game has a much different feel professionally than collegiately, as the level of physicality and aggressiveness is much higher.

Another thing that she has to adjust to is the losing. During the 2023-24 season with the Hawkeyes, Caitlin Clark lost only five games all season. In the first five games of the 2024 WNBA season, the Indiana Fever have already matched that.

On Wednesday evening, they dropped to 0-5 after losing 85-83 to the Seattle Storm. After the game, Caitlin Clark spoke about trying to remain positive during a rough patch. The Fever have shown improvements during the game, but not enough to pull out a victory.

“You’re never happy to lose,” Clark said. “It’s not fun, but at the same time there’s just a lot of things to build on. I’m just trying to be as positive as possible, continue to learn, continue to stack days. I know that first win will be right around the corner.”

The schedule has done no favors for Indiana. They faced the Connecticut Sun and New York Liberty, who matched up the 2023 WNBA Semifinals, in their first four games. The first three were blowouts, but the second matchup against the Sun was closer.

On Wednesday, the Indiana Fever had a chance to win the game late once again. But, they weren’t able to get the job done in crunch time, falling just short. That sent the record crowd of 18,343 home happy.

That is the most fans in Seattle franchise history and the most for a regular season WNBA game since 2018. Caitlin Clark is a big reason why, but Storm fans are also turning out to see their star, Jewel Lloyd.

Lloyd scored 32 points with 11 rebounds and six assists. She is only the second player with a 30/10/5 game in Storm history, with the other being Breanna Stewart. 

“It’s pretty incredible,” Clark said. “That crowd and that environment was great. Just looking around — a sea of people on both sides and behind the basket. It was a great game. Obviously I would have loved if we would have won.”

Caitlin Clark had her best all-around game, scoring 21 points with seven rebounds and seven assists. The Indiana Fever won the time she was on the court for, going +7 in 33 minutes. 

They are getting closer, as their next chance to get their first win is Friday night when they continue their road trip against the Los Angeles Sparks. They have a star rookie of their own in Cameron Brink, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft.