Caitlin Clark Scores 20 in Debut Against Sun

In one of the most anticipated debuts in WNBA history, Caitlin Clark played in her first game. Despite it being a road game, most of the crowd was behind Clark. Clark scored a team-high 20 points but committed 10 turnovers in the process. The 10 turnovers were the most in a career debut in the history of the WNBA. The Indiana Fever fell 92-71 to the Connecticut Sun in the season opener at the Mohegan Sun Arena. Clark didn’t get on the board until the 5:24 mark of the second quarter when she converted on a drive to the rim off a steal. The crowd of 8,910 marked the Sun’s first home opener sellout since 2003 in their inaugural game in Connecticut. The Sun gave their fans plenty to be loud about throughout the evening, securing the lead four minutes in.

The loudest cheers were for 14-year veteran DeWanna Bonner when she was honored during a timeout for becoming the league’s No. 5 all-time scorer. Alyssa Thomas notched her 12^th career triple-double (including postseason) late in the fourth quarter. Thomas, who came in second in MVP voting in 2023, led the league in assists and rebounds last season. The Sun’s veteran core and defensive identity was too much for a young Fever team still learning how to play with one another. Indiana, which also got 13 points from post player NaLyssa Smith, turned the ball over 25 times, which Connecticut converted into 29 points. Before a rematch against the Sun on Monday in Indianapolis, Clark and the Fever will play the New York Liberty, last year’s WNBA Finals runner-up, at home on Thursday then in Brooklyn on Saturday.