Former Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder is already enjoying her retirement. On Thursday, Bluder was in attendance for Caitlin Clark’s first home game with the Indiana Fever. Bluder proudly endorsed her former star when given the chance.
“I’m so excited for Caitlin and for all the Indiana Fever fans,” Bluder said. “Give her a little time. It’s going to be absolutely amazing. She’s an incredible young woman and she’s going to represent this state and this city so well.”
Unfortunately, Clark was unable to pick up a win in front of her former head coach. In the Fever’s 102-66 blowout loss to the New York Liberty, Clark tallied nine points, seven rebounds and six assists.
Clark struggled to find a rhythm against the Liberty’s pesky defense, ultimately shooting 2-8 from the field and 1-7 from beyond the arc while committing three turnovers. Clark finished the game with a +/- of -24.
Despite Clark’s subpar performance, fans showed up in droves to catch a glimpse of the 2024 WNBA Draft’s No. 1 pick. It was a sellout crowd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse with over 17,000 fans in attendance.
Caitlin Clark is leading the WBB movement
The city also celebrated Clark’s first home game by unveiling a 150-foot banner on the side of the Hyatt Regency in downtown Indianapolis. Caitlin Clark is propelling the game forward and Bluder couldn’t be happier.
“It’s the movement, right? It’s time,” Bluder said with a smile. “It’s time for women’s basketball to grow and we’re gonna keep growing it.”
More than 2.12 million people tuned in to ESPN2 for Clark’s WNBA debut on Tuesday, according to Sports Media Watch – the most-watched WNBA game since 2001 when 2.45 million fans watched the Los Angeles Sparks take on the Houston Comets on NBC.
In the loss, Clark recorded 20 points, three points and two steals. However, Clark also committed 10 turnovers in the defeat. After the game, Clark was candid about the difference between college ball and the WNBA.
“I thought it was physical,” Clark said. “I don’t know, obviously it wasn’t like the best start in the first half for myself getting into foul trouble and then you got to sit on the bench and try to come back into the game and get into a little bit of a flow.
“Obviously, too many turnovers. That’s not going to get the job done, but I think just a lot of things to learn from. I didn’t think we played well, and we cut it to 6 [points] in the third quarter.”
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