It was a rough start Thursday night for the Indiana Fever and their No. 1 draft pick Caitlin Clark. The Fever lost their home opener to the New York Liberty by a whopping 36 points. The final score was 102-66 before a sellout crowd of 17,274 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse with Clark scoring just nine points.
Despite the crushing loss, many fans remain hopeful about the team and Clark’s prospects. Here’s what several shared before and after Thursday’s game.
“Just seeing how she played in Iowa and then coming to play here is a special thing to me. I can come to these games and watch them in person. I love how confident she is and how she loves to lift up her team.” —Jayann Youngblood, Mooresville (left)
“It’s not just her game … not just that she can hit 3’s and scores the most points. She bonds with the whole team and helps everybody around her.” —Kendal Price, Mooresville (right)
“We’re from Iowa. We drove 350 miles to see this game and paid a couple hundred bucks per seat. We’re just enthralled by how much attention she gets and how important she is not just to basketball but women’s sports in general, especially the WNBA now. … But she’s going to be under a lot of pressure for a while because she’s a rookie, and she’s going up against people she’s been watching most of her life.” —Ryan Bettcher, Iowa (middle)
“This is a huge deal being able to share this experience with my goddaughter Bridget. It’s her first Fever game, and it’s my first time being a season ticket holder. I followed Caitlin’s college career, and now I’m excited to follow her with the Fever. Bridget and I were just talking about women’s sports getting more attention, the viewership, the merch, all the different sponsorships that are coming with it. We both love to see it.” —Ashley Gibson, Indianapolis, with goddaughter Bridget Neal, 9
“All the exposure that’s come with Caitlin Clark and the WNBA, it brings such a great excitement to me and my child. … And it’s very, very important because she plays basketball. Statistically speaking, I believe girls drop out of sports at twice the rate of boys in middle school, so to see girls that are older and look like her, it’s amazing and I love it.” —Devante Carlisle, Indianapolis
“I preferred men’s basketball until I heard about Caitlin Clark, and then I became a fan of WNBA as well. It was the first time I saw her play and seeing her break that record—it made me fall in love with her and the game. It’s the way she plays. She’s changed it for the WNBA and the girls. Everybody wants to be like her now.” —Gianna Merdano, Lafayette
“Everything is changing. They got other players on the other teams that are stars, and this is going to be big [for the Fever]. She’s like Michael Jordan. Everyone needs a piece of light, and this is a light that’s coming and bringing everyone together. You have people that have never been [to a Fever game] here … young and old, and boys and girls.” —Superfan
“I think she did well. Obviously, they need to get some more open shots for her and move the ball better. I think the defense is frustrating her a little bit, but overall, I think she did pretty well, so I’m looking forward to the next game.” —Brent Castle, Westfield (middle)
“I like Caitlin Clark because she shoots the 3’s, and she has a big heart. Tonight, you could see she was getting adjusted to the WNBA. I think she’s getting a little frustrated, but once she gets a few more games under her belt, she’ll be doing just fine.” —Will Talley, Carmel
“It was a little disappointing, but obviously New York is a very good team. Breanna Stewart was absolutely outstanding in the first half, but I think the Fever has so much potential. They just have to learn how to put all the new pieces together. And, obviously, they played very hard defense against Caitlin.” —Rosemarie Dumont, Butler women’s basketball player
“We kind of knew coming into a high draft pick it’s usually a team not doing that well, but we just wanted to see how she did. The transition from just playing a few weeks ago is not lot of time to get ready for a whole new league. … I’m just expecting her to get more comfortable and keep playing better and better as she gets used to the feel of it in the pros.” —Tom Brooks, Louisville, Kentucky
