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Caitlin Clark shines in WNBA preseason debut as Indiana Fever falls to Dallas Wings

James Brown

The Caitlin Clark era is off to a raucous start.

In front of a sold-out crowd in Dallas for her first WNBA game, although it was preseason action, Clark was as impactful as she was the last four years at Iowa (perhaps in part because of all the familiar Big Ten foes on the court ). ). Although the Indiana Fever lost to the Dallas Wings 79-76, with Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale hitting a go-ahead 3-pointer with three seconds left, Clark finished with a team-high 21 points and made five 3-pointers .

“I thought we played very hard. Just a great atmosphere for women's basketball,” Clark said after the game on the Bally Sports broadcast. “I think it's a good start to the WNBA season.”

Clark started alongside Erica Wheeler, who allowed the former Iowa star to play on and off the ball. On her first possession as de facto point guard, she delivered a perfect outlet pass to advance NaLyssa Smith the length of the court. After Smith's attempt at the rim was blocked, Clark went into guard mode and hit a deep 3-pointer from the wing for her first career points.

The triples continued to flow in the first half. Clark matched the Wings' total with four 3-pointers before intermission, including one that required dazzling footwork against former Defensive Player of the Year Natasha Howard. Howard switched to Clark on the perimeter, and the No. 1 pick created just enough space with a hesitant dribble and then a step back to her left to drain the jumper.

Clark didn't venture to the rim much at first, but her shot was WNBA-ready, including a mid-range jumper near the end of the second quarter. In the first half, Clark scored 16 points, leading both teams.

Still, there was a lot to improve from Friday night's performance. Clark finished with a game-high five turnovers and was fouled four times. She said afterward that the Fever could have gotten into her offense better and that there is room to understand more about when to press in transition and when to slow the pace of the game. She also said the team's passing could have been better.

“Overall, there's a lot to learn about,” Clark said. “These are good learning experiences for us. This doesn't count. Go back and watch the movie, cinema doesn't lie and learn from that.”

“This is a process, right? We started practicing on Sunday,” Fever coach Christie Sides said. “We are still learning from each other. He worked very hard to get some vaccines that he doesn't need to work as hard for anymore.”

Last year's Rookie of the Year, Aliyah Boston, finished with eight points and eight rebounds in her preseason debut, while Smith, the No. 2 pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft, finished with 20 points and six rebounds. Fellow Fever rookie Celeste Taylor finished with five rebounds in 11 minutes.

Ogunbowale's 3-pointer was his only 3-pointer of the game, although he finished with 19 points. Freshman guard Jaelyn Brown led the Wings with 21 points.

Jacy Sheldon, the No. 5 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, played 13 minutes off the Wings' bench and recorded two assists.

The Fever's second and final pre-season game is scheduled for Friday, May 10.

Reese finishes one rebound shy of double-double in debut

Former LSU star Angel Reese also made his preseason debut Friday night as the Chicago Sky took on the Minnesota Lynx. Reese started the contest and a layup attempt was blocked by Minnesota star forward Napheesa Collier just three minutes into the game. Although Reese did not score in the first quarter, he calmed down during the second quarter, scoring and showing offensive chemistry with center Kamilla Cardoso.

With 3:49 left before halftime, Reese found Cardoso cutting to the basket for a layup, a hoop that Chicago forward Brianna Turner said looked even better in person.

Chicago lost 92-81, but Reese finished with 13 points and was aggressive around the rim. He attempted 10 free throws and made nine. He also added a game-high nine rebounds. Cardoso, the third pick in last April's draft, came off Chicago's bench and finished with six points and four rebounds in 13 minutes of action.

Former Utah star Alissa Pili made her preseason debut for the Lynx, but struggled on the offensive end, making just one of her seven shot attempts in 13 minutes of action.

Required reading

(Photos: Cooper Neill/NBAE via Getty Images)

By James Brown

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