Caitlin Clark came crashing back down to earth on Wednesday, September 11, as the Indiana Fever suffered a tough loss to the two-time defending champions Las Vegas Aces, 86-75.
Clark, who is fresh off her third consecutive Eastern Conference Player of the Week win, shot poorly from the field against the Aces, going 1-of-10 from distance and 6-of-22 overall for 16 points. The rookie sensation added three rebounds and six assists but also committed five turnovers in 38 minutes of play.
It’s not entirely shocking that Clark had her worst game in a while against a powerhouse Aces side who is coached by one of the best tacticians in the league, Becky Hammon.
The two-time WNBA champion coach spoke to the press after Wednesday’s win as she discussed Clark and how her team managed to hold down the Rookie of the Year frontrunner.
“I think Jackie [Young] was great on Caitlin tonight, just making her life tough,” Hammon said. “Even [Sydney Colson] when she got in, picking her up 94 feet — just making her work, making everything difficult.
“And as the game progressed — she played almost a full game — your legs start to wear. All that stuff has a build-up factor, even though she’s young. It’s exhausting to have Jackie Young guarding you all night; it just is, as well as everybody.
“It’s really a team effort to try to contain a player like that but everybody, you know, the main thing was the main thing.”
Really liked this answer from Becky Hammon, as she was asked about adjustments for Friday.
"It's exhausting to have Jackie Young guarding you all night, it just is […]"#WNBA #AllInLV 🎥: @LVAces pic.twitter.com/OHIk6bXKuS
— Isabelle (@IsabelleMM2) September 12, 2024
You can tell by the way she spoke about Clark that Hammon and the Aces hold the Fever superstar in very high regard. It is also clear that they had a game plan in place designed specifically for Clark, which, on this particular occasion, worked in Las Vegas’ favor.
The Aces and the Fever go at it again on Friday, September 13, in another showdown at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Hammon and her squad will be looking to build on their success from Wednesday night, but you can be sure that Clark and Co. will be out for some revenge on their home floor.
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