Guard Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever saw it right away. She went over and informed head coach Christie Sides that both the choice to even try the pass to Temi Fagbenle in transition and the execution of it were subpar. When it happened, the Fever was trailing the fourth quarter by one possession (5:13 remaining). Later on Friday night, they were defeated by the Minnesota Lynx, 99-88. Clark accepted responsibility even though she wasn’t directly questioned about that fumble after the game.
After the game, Clark remarked, “To be honest, I thought we played really well in the fourth.” I thought that our momentum was kind of really interrupted by my turnover in transition. To be honest, it was a terrible read. I was expecting the girl to drop by. She never did make it over.
Perfectly interpreting the action leading up to her own turnover, Clark read the minds of the Lynx. Following a bounce-pass to Courtney Williams on the perimeter, Alanna Smith faded to the elbow for a wide-open look as the Minnesota guard was subsequently double-teamed. However, Clark swung over, jumped up, and swatted the taller forward’s shot with both arms before catching it.
The front-runner for Rookie of the Year displayed her talent right then and there. She had been constructing. Clark lost her guard on the arc approximately 45 seconds before the block, and naturally, she made the clutch basket to bring the Fever within three points. Colleague Aliyah Boston read the entirety of Clark’s back cut. Clark constantly flailed her arms to energise the sold-out audience. And they complied.
It was her fourth 3-pointer of the game, followed by the block and the foot sprint, in that sequence.
Her master of transition, Temi Fagbenle, and she surged into three Minnesota defenders. Due to their numerical disadvantage, Fagbenle committed her seventh turnover of the evening under Clark’s guidance, while she had eight assists. Williams made the 3-pointer that she had not previously attempted on Minnesota’s next possession, and as Clark subsequently acknowledged, it knocked the wind out.
Everyone was quickly reminded that Clark is still only 22 years old and constantly learning. Gainbridge Fieldhouse was tight on Friday. Throughout the third quarter, Clark had the crowd going more than once, encouraging them to applaud and cheer or to make more noise when she called for an illegal screen.
Just to refresh your memory, all of this occurred before to the 3-pointer, the block, and the turnover.
Sides remarked, “She’s just so passionate.” We’ve been attempting to figure out how to move past the times when she becomes angry or irritated. I was concerned that she might receive a [technical foul]… thankfully, she didn’t… She needs to understand that I need my point guard to remain composed in those situations. You need to return if it wasn’t a foul call as you initially believed.
