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Caitlin Clark-mania officially got underway on Thursday night in Indianapolis as the new face of the WNBA made her home debut in the Fever’s preseason win over the Atlanta Dream at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Clark finished with 12 points, including a big 3-pointer late in the third quarter that helped extend what would become an 83-80 victory in front of 13,028 fans in the Fever’s only home game this preseason.
The No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft logged 31 minutes, while pulling down eight boards, recording six assists and blocking a shot, while shooting 4-of-12 from the field and 2-of-9 from 3-point range.
The most impressive moment for Clark came when she hit one of her signature deep 3’s with 2:14 left in the third quarter.
Clark stepped up and shot the ball just in front of a logo for Gainbridge Fieldhouse on the side of the court and launched the deep 3 that fell for the basket.
She also had another 3, which did not count, moments later that took a wacky bounce off the shot clock and went in.
In the first quarter, Clark made another impressive play when she essentially went end-to-end and drove through four Dream defenders in the paint to score on a layup.
Though the game didn’t count, it was another memorable moment in the history of the Fever and the WNBA as fans packed the Indianapolis arena for their first chance to see Clark play on her new home court.
And Clark has already been feeling the love from her new fans.
“People definitely know who I am,” Clark said before the game, according to The Associated Press. “Sometimes it’s hard to go out and do what I want to do, but at the same time, I wouldn’t want it any other way. That’s the best way to grow women’s basketball. That’s the best way to get these fans excited about what we’re going to do here, so I think people they are just as excited as we are to play here. So I think more than anything, enjoy it, soak it in.”
There were plenty of special guests on hand on Thursday night as well, with Pacers star Lance Stephenson taking in the action.
Iowa teammate Gabbie Marshall was also courtside to support Clark in her first home game as a pro.
The two posed for a picture together after the game and shared a hug.
The Fever begin their season on the road in Connecticut against the Sun next Tuesday.
Two days later, they will play their first regular-season home game against the New York Liberty.
