Connecticut Sun on the road for rematch with Indiana Fever, Caitlin ...

20 May 2024

Hartford Courant

Connecticut Sun on the road for rematch with Indiana Fever Caitlin

After a 21-point win over Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever on opening day, the Connecticut Sun look to double down in a road rematch.

The first week of her first WNBA season has not been kind to No. 1 draft pick Caitlin Clark.

Across Clark’s first three games with the Indiana Fever, the rookie star has seen two playoff teams, reigning MVP Breanna Stewart, 2024 MVP runner-up Alyssa Thomas, former MVP Jonquel Jones and six other All-Stars. The Fever suffered back-to-back losses to last year’s Finals runner-up, the New York Liberty, to fall to 0-3, and now face another rematch Monday with the Connecticut Sun in Indianapolis.

Connecticut dominated the Fever 92-71 in their opening day matchup last Tuesday, led by Thomas’ 12th career triple double. DeWanna Bonner kicked off her 15th season with 20 points to become the No. 5 leading scorer in WNBA history. DiJonai Carrington was the breakout star for her defensive effort on Clark, holding the Indiana point guard to 2-for-10 shooting and forcing eight of her 10 turnovers as her primary guard. The rookie finished with 20 points but shot just 5-for-15 from the field and 4-for-11 from 3-point range.

“What (Clark) has done really well in college, she’s going to continue to do well here, but you learn some of the other things you haven’t naturally done,” Sun coach Stephanie White said. “You can’t be one-dimensional … Her game has a lot of intricacies to it when she has the ball in her hands, but great teams and great defensive players are going to force you to do something that’s different. That’s an acquired skill, and that’s continuing to work and grow your game.”

Veteran Connecticut Sun teach rookie Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever a lesson in 92-71 season-opening win

There was always going to be a steep learning curve early on for the Fever’s extremely young roster, and the first few opponents leave them little room to figure things out in-game. Still, the consecutive matchups against New York showed flashes of what Indiana can be. Clark had her worst game as a pro in the Fever’s home opener, shooting 25% from the field and 13. She then turned around for her best performance yet at a sold-out Barclays Center in Brooklyn, scoring 22 points on 9-of-17 shooting from the field and 4-for-10 on 3-pointers plus six rebounds.

Turnovers remain a concern for Clark, who gave up eight against New York following a record 10 in Connecticut, but her production as a facilitator spiked after the Sun held her to just three assists. She logged a combined 13 across the two Liberty games.

“When I look at all these things people are talking about with Caitlin Clark, it’s like guys, chill out,” White said with a chuckle. “She’s gonna be fine. It’s two games in, are you kidding me? She’s a student of the game. She got better every year. You’re not going to just absorb all of the new information coming at you in two games, in two weeks. It takes time.”

The Sun enter the rematch 2-0 after an ugly victory against the Washington Mystics on Friday. Carrington kept her hot streak going with 21 points, and Bonner logged a second 20-piece with 22 points, but the veteran was openly appalled by the team’s 10% shooting from 3-point range. Connecticut has also struggled early to maintain its defensive sets once White begins the bench rotation, so cleaning up the schemes is a priority in the second matchup.

Clark may have a chip on her shoulder returning to Gainbridge Fieldhouse to redeem herself from a disappointing home opener, but the Sun have no shortage of bulletin-board material heading into the hostile environment. From an inequitable rollout of the league’s new charter flight program to Pat McAfee’s stunned reaction to talent beyond Clark in the WNBA, Connecticut still has something to prove in front of a national audience on ESPN.

“More than anything after after this game, it’s preparation … For a lot of players, whether injured or didn’t play overseas, (we’re still) working our way back into game shape with a lot of new pieces,” White said after the Washington game. “But we have to always be elite in terms of our energy, intensity and discipline on the defensive end of the floor. I didn’t feel like we were there tonight. So that’s on us as coaching staff to make sure that we get there and make sure that we’re ready and to make sure that there’s clarity, and then it’s on them to go out and execute it and to have some attention to detail. ”