Following the Connecticut Sun’s 93-69 victory over the Indiana Fever in the opening game of the WNBA playoffs, Caitlin Clark delivered a bold message of confidence ahead of their second matchup on Wednesday night.
“Like I said, I mean, we can win,” she said in a press conference. “It’s not anything about the building, it’s not about the gym, it’s not about the hoops. I have all the confidence in the world in this team and everybody in our locker room does. I know we’ll be all better on Wednesday” she concluded.
Clark, who earlier was announced as the AP Rookie of the Year, finished the match with 11 points, eight assists, four rebounds and three steals. Meanwhile, Kelsey Mitchell scored 21 points and Aliyah Boston added 17 points and 11 rebounds for Indiana.
The Fever made it to their first postseason series since 2016, when Connecticut Sun head coach Stephanie White was leading the team. Meanwhile, the Sun came into the match with 222 playoff games.
Aliyah Boston #7, Caitlin Clark #22, Lexie Hull #10 and NaLyssa Smith #1 walk the court during a timeout during the first half of a first round WNBA playoff game ( Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images)
Sun forward Alyssa Thomas earned her fourth postseason triple-double, finishing with 12 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds. Meanwhile, Marina Mabrey led the Sun with 27 points, 20 of which came in the second half.
Indiana Fever need the win on Wednesday
Game 2 of the series will also be in Connecticut with a potential decisive third game in Indiana on Friday night if necessary. The Fever are not favorites to win the series, as they struggled with the Sun during the season with an unfavorable 1-3 record.
Clark could make more history if the Fever succeed in the Playoffs. Only two No. 1 picks have won the WNBA championship in their first season: Tina Thompson, the WNBA’s first-ever draft pick in 1997, led the Comets to the first of four straight titles, while Maya Moore helped the Lynx win the 2011 championship in her rookie season.
