Caitlin Clark shoulders blame after Indiana Fever's loss against Minnesota Lynx: "It really ended the momentum for us"

Rookie Caitlin Clark shouldered the blame for the Indiana Fever's 99-88 loss against the Minnesota Lynx on Friday. Playing in front of their home crowd at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana got off to a superb start and ended the first quarter with a 27-19 lead.

The home team kept its foot on the pedal and went into the half time break with a five-point lead, with the scores locked at 50-45. However, the Fever lacked defensive intensity in the second quarter as the Lynx scored 26 points in the period.

After the break, Caitlin Clark and Co. were poor on the defensive end, allowing Minnesota to turn its five-point half time deficit into a 12-point lead heading into the final quarter of the game.

“Honestly, I thought we played really good in the fourth. My turnover in transition is what I felt like really kinda ended the momentum for us. I think we were 78-77, I got a steal and a block and we are running transition...honestly just made a bad read," Clark told reporters after.

Indiana struggled in the third quarter, getting outscored 29-12 and leaving them with a steep hill to climb in the fourth. However, Christie Sides' squad responded brilliantly in the final period, cutting the deficit to just one point.

Just as it seemed the Fever were poised to take the lead, momentum swung back in Minnesota's favor due to an error made by Clark.

"I think it starts defensively and get a stop. It's hard to win a game when they outscore you by 17 points in a quarter...it's impressive that we got it (deficit) down to one point," Clark said

Clark, who leads the league in turnovers and assists, turned the ball over seven times in the game. The rookie averages 5.6 turnovers per game this season.

Caitlin Clark preaches defensive solidity

The Indiana Fever has played solid basketball in the second half of the season. The franchise suffered only its second loss in nine games since the Olympic break, with both defeats coming against the No.1 ranked Western Conference team Minnesota Lynx.

After the latest defeat, Caitlin Clark spoke openly about the importance of maintaining defensive intensity throughout the four quarters.

"I think defensively is where it has to start. Out first quarter defense was really good. Every quarter besides that...third quarter was bad. So just continue to get better but we had moments, especially to begin the fourth quarter...it was a lot better than the other two," Clark said.

The 22-year-old rookie finished the game with 25 points, eight rebounds and assists.