'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The Indiana Fever played their first game in over a year without Caitlin Clark on Wednesday, and her absence was felt in full. Her shoes proved too big to fill as the Fever suffered a confidence-shaking 83-77 loss at CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore, dropping to a 2-3 record on the season.
Fever veterans Sophie Cunningham and Kelsey Mitchell didn’t hold back after the disjointed performance. Speaking to reporters postgame, both players expressed similar sentiments, candidly acknowledging the magnitude of the defeat and the team’s lackluster showing.
"I think this was kind of a gut punch for us," Cunningham said.
"We got punched in the mouth early, it's kind of humbling," Mitchell noted.
Trending
With her backcourt partner sidelined, the onus was on Kelsey Mitchell to carry the offensive load. However, the veteran guard struggled to rise to the occasion, turning in a disappointing performance that only added to the Fever’s woes. Mitchell managed just 14 points on 4 of 16 shooting from the field.
Sophie Cunningham didn’t fare much better during her 20 minutes off the bench. She missed all three of her shot attempts and committed five fouls on the defensive end, failing to provide the spark Indiana desperately needed.
Stat shows glaring impact of Caitlin Clark's absence on Indiana Fever
Caitlin Clark watched from the sidelines as the Indiana Fever struggled through most of their matchup against the Washington Mystics. One glaring takeaway from her vantage point was just how difficult it was for the team to generate easy scoring opportunities in her absence.
Without their primary floor general and shot creator, the Fever failed to score a single point in transition. In stark contrast, during the first four games of the season with Clark on the court, Indiana had tallied a total of 49 transition points.
With Clark unlikely to return to action anytime soon, coach Stephanie White will need to rethink her offensive strategy to help the team generate easier scoring opportunities. One clear area for improvement is getting Aliyah Boston more involved, especially considering she took just five shots against the Mystics, far too few for a player of her caliber.
