The sold-out crowd at State Farm Arena showed its Atlanta love again for Indiana Fever rookie star Caitlin Clark. For the second time this season, countless fans wore Clark jerseys, both for the Fever and the Iowa Hawkeyes, Clark’s college team.
In Clark’s first visit earlier this season, the Dream had their biggest home crowd ever with 17,575 fans. Monday night, that record fell as 17,608 attended the game, which Indiana won 84-79.
Wherever Clark goes, sold-out arenas follow.
“Honestly, you can tell they’re just there for good basketball,” Clark said. “They’re almost cheering for both teams it feels like.”
Clark tied the WNBA record for most threes by a rookie. She is also the first rookie to reach 500-plus points and 200 or more assists. She has 539 points and 247 assists.
Clark put up 19 points, seven assists and added seven rebounds in almost 37 minutes of playing time against the Dream. The point guard said her team struggled with extending leads early on.
“I think at times we get stagnant and don’t play with the same pace as we play with, especially in the first half, Clark said. “We scored 18 and 14 in the second half and in those two quarters I thought it wasn’t our best offense. It just felt very ‘eh’ but I’m proud of us like I thought our defense was really good.”
Clark took a fall in the first quarter, while on the defensive end. She got tangled up with her own teammate Aliyah Boston and lost her balance, resulting in a painful ankle injury. Once trainers got to the court, Clark was able to walk to the bench to get the ankle taped.
“I saw the replay, I look really soft,” Clark said. “You’re not a real basketball player if you haven’t sprained your ankles a bunch.”
Credit: Miguel Martinez
Credit: Miguel Martinez
The 1996 Olympics gold-medalist basketball team was honored at the end of the first quarter, celebrating the legacy they have built for the next generation of women’s basketball players. Val Ackerman, Ruthie Bolton and Venus Lacey were all in attendance and had nice things to say about Clark too.
“She’s a generational talent there’s no doubt about it ... the fearlessness is clear,” Ackerman said. “She clearly has the goods and the crowds she’s attracting and the ratings she’s generating are all signs that she’s transformational.”
Bolton, a two-time Olympics gold medalist and WNBA All-Star, said she is amazed at how much the sport has grown due to Clark’s impact.
“We’ve always dreamed of having all eyes on women’s basketball and there has always been talent, but she has created a path for people who hadn’t watched basketball before,” Bolton said. “I think it’s great for women’s basketball. ... I grateful for this new era of basketball.”
Clark says coming into sold-out arenas like State Farm is incredible and hopes it inspires the younger generation.
“I don’t show up and expect these crowds, like sure, maybe you’ve gotten a little bit used to it but for me that’s something that never gets old,” Clark said. “It is something really cool, especially as a young girl growing up going to games and If I would have come into a building like this and seen this type of crowd, I think I would have been in heaven.”
