"Starting to wonder if Caitlin Clark has a mental block": Fever fans react as Kate Martin remains undefeated against former Iowa teammate

Caitlin Clark stayed winless against her former Iowa running mate, Kate Martin, after Thursday's 88-77 loss to the Golden State Valkyries. Clark produced one of her worst outings in the WNBA after tallying 11 points and committing six turnovers, shooting only 3 of 14. She missed all of her seven 3-point shots.

On the other hand, Martin had a solid outing. In 20 minutes off the bench, she made four field goals on seven attempts, one more than Clark, while adding five rebounds. The Valkyries overturned a 13-point deficit to complete a successful comeback and improve to 6-6 on the season.

Prior to Thursday's game, as per Statmuse, Martin had faced Clark twice in an Aces uniform last year and won both games. She's now 3-0 against the Fever superstar. While Martin's direct contributions haven't been game-altering, it's still an intriguing record, considering Clark's struggles against her teams.

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Fever fans were concerned about Caitlin Clark following this loss, relating it to Kate Martin's presence on the other end. Here are some of the reactions:

Valkyries bothered Caitlin Clark with tremendous physicality

Caitlin Clark has put on muscle in her sophomore season, as dealing with physical plays was one of her main focus areas after a brutal rookie year in this regard. While she has dealt with it fairly well, it wasn't the case on Thursday. The Valkyries unleashed their best defenders on Clark at every point and bothered her on the perimeter.

Tiffany Hayes was the primary defender on Clark and was heavily influential in limiting the reigning Rookie of the Year.

“We were being disruptive," Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said (via 95.7 The Game). "We know she doesn’t like physicality. We know that she wants to get to that left stepback… it’s almost like a layup for her so we were just making sure she wasn’t getting into rhythm."

Hayes' quickness also allowed her to guard Clark efficiently. The Valkyries succeeded in their plan, and it paid off despite their struggles early in the game.

Meanwhile, Clark and Kelsey Mitchell blamed the Fever's lack of intensity. Clark said it was disappointing to see the Valkyries play "harder," while Mitchell said the team was "soft" and allowed their counterparts to set the tone

About the author

Arhaan Raje is an Assistant Content Manager and Senior Writer with Sportskeeda's NBA/WNBA team with four years of experience.

Arhaan focuses on features, trends, listicles, and the latest rumors and reports circling the league's top teams and players. He emphasizes detailed research to create impactful content for readers. A fan of Xs and Os, Arhaan provides technical deep dives in his reporting.

Arhaan completed his bachelor's degree in BBA in Media and Entertainment Management from Mumbai, India.

Arhaan admires the killer mentality of Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. He respects LeBron James for being a role model on and off the court. The bold and decisive Gregg Popovich stands out as Arhaan's favorite basketball coach. LeBron's epic chase-down block in the 2016 NBA Finals has a special place in Arhaan's basketball memories.

He has interviewed former NBA Defensive Player of the Year Gary Payton and Ronnie 2K, the face of NBA2k and Marketing Director.

Sports isn't the only passion he has pursued professionally. Arhaan is also into performing arts in the music industry as a percussionist.

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Edited by Arhaan Raje