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5 months ago
24
Despite putting up a season-high 30 points, Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever fell to 1-7 on the season and have yet to win a game at home after losing 84-75 to the Los Angeles Sparks.
In a battle between the top two overall picks in this year's WNBA Draft, No. 1 overall Clark got the better of No. 2 overall Cameron Brink in every way but in the win-loss column.
Brink put up only tree points along with three rebounds, two assists, one steal, and two blocks.
Meanwhile Clark's 30 points were joined with five rebounds, five assists, three steals and three blocks.
But Clark's struggle with protecting the ball reared its ugly head again as she racked up seven turnovers on the night.
Caitlin Clark may have bested Cam Brink in the scoresheet, but she couldn't find herself a win
Clark dropped a career-high 30 points but Indiana still fell to the Los Angeles Sparks
LA was led by Kia Nurse's 22 points and a strong 21 point performance off the bench from Aari McDonald.
In addition to Clark, Aliyah Boston put up 17 points and six rebounds for Indiana while Kelsey Mitchell dropped 15 points.
The Fever have yet to win a game at home, dropping to 0-3 when playing at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Indiana earned its only victory of the season last weekend at Los Angeles, but neither Clark nor her teammates could recreate that finish.
Los Angeles swung the game with a decisive 28-8 run that turned a 55-48 third-quarter deficit into a 76-63 lead in the fourth quarter. Again, the Fever never recovered.
At times, it was downright ugly. While the Fever shot just 38.2% from the field, the Sparks committed 19 turnovers while making a season-best 14 3s.
And yet Clark's presence and play created a wide range of emotions at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Clark may have had a team-high 30 points, but she also led the team in turnovers with seven
Fans leapt to their feet when she made a 3-pointer from the right wing just 66 seconds into the game. She wowed fans with nifty passes, crafty steals and even two first-half blocks.
She made Fever fans wince with three first-half turnovers and when a frustrated Clark' drew a technical foul with 2.7 seconds left in the first quarter, coach Christie Sides even pulled her star rookie toward the free-throw line for a discussion between quarters.
But it was only good enough to get the Fever within 37-32 at halftime.
Then, with former Colts star T.Y. Hilton, Pacers players Tyrese Haliburton, Bennedict Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard and current NFL players Shaquille Leonard and Nick Cross watching courtside, Clark & Co. turned the corner in the second half.
They opened the third quarter on an 11-0 run but surrendered the lead when the Sparks closed the quarter with three straight 3s and a breakaway layup to take a 59-55 lead during the decisive run.
English (US)