Caitlin Clark, Fever Make Unfortunate WNBA History in Blowout Loss to Liberty

The Caitlin Clark era in Indianapolis is off to a rough start.

The New York Liberty spoiled Clark’s highly anticipated home debut at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Thursday night, defeating the Indiana Fever 102–66 in front of a sellout crowd.

That 36-point loss came two days after the Fever’s 92–71 loss to the Connecticut Sun to open the season Tuesday. Per ESPN, the Fever’s point differential of minus-57 is the worst for a team’s first two games in the 28-year history of the WNBA.

Via @ESPNStatsInfo: Indiana has been outscored by 57 points its first two games — the largest point deficit in WNBA history for a team through its first two games.

Hang in there, Fever fans.

— Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) May 17, 2024Clark, who scored 20 points but committed 10 turnovers in her WNBA debut Tuesday night, didn’t play particularly well on Thursday. The former Iowa star scored nine points on 2-of-8 shooting and tallied seven rebounds and six assists in 30 minutes. Clark drilled just one of her seven three-point attempts.

Breanna Stewart led the way for New York, scoring 31 points on 12-of-21 shooting with 10 rebounds, three steals and two blocks.

The schedule doesn’t get much easier for Indiana, however. The Fever are back in action Saturday for a rematch on the road against the Liberty, and return to Indianapolis on Monday for a chance at revenge against the Sun.