INDIANAPOLIS – Caitlin Clark’s home debut drew the largest-ever preseason home crowd in Indiana Fever history.
According to Elias Sports Bureau, the crowd of 13,028 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse blew away the previous preseason record crowd of 9,024—set on May 18, 2000, during the team’s inaugural year in Indy.
Fans didn’t go away disappointed, as the Fever topped the Atlanta Dream 83-80 in the team’s only home preseason game.
Clark finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and six assists. It wasn’t a perfect night—she had six turnovers and struggled from the field, going 4 of 12 overall and 2 of 9 from three-point range—but the former Iowa star played in her first pro home game and notched her first pro win.
“It was a lot of fun. I thought they were loud, I thought they were into it. It was fun to see some people in some Iowa stuff and a lot of people in Fever gear. This is a preseason game on a Thursday night, and there are 13,000 people here. I think that just shows what it’s going to be like all season for us,” Clark said after the game.
Even when things weren’t going smoothly on offense, Clark concentrated on other things to help her team.
“I went out there and played hard on defense. I just try to do things that don’t even show up in the box score,” she said. “They’re pressuring me full court, they’re physical with me coming off screens. It’s going to be hard to get some clean looks. I got a few of them. I think early in the game I rushed a few threes, but they were still good looks and they felt good.”
NaLyssa Smith led the Fever with 21 points and Grace Berger dished out seven assists. Aliyah Boston and Katie Lou Samuelson scored 11 apiece, with Boston blocking a game-high four shots.
The Fever needed that record crowd, too. The team got into an early double-digit hole but fed off fans’ energy to rally back. Atlanta led by as many as 15 in the first half; Indiana cut the deficit to one by halftime.
The Fever outscored Atlanta 35-31 in the second half to claim the win.
Thursday’s game had originally been scheduled for Friday, but the league moved it up a night to accommodate the Indiana Pacers’ home playoff game against the New York Knicks.
Clark will make her regular-season debut against the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday, May 14. She’ll play her first regular-season game at home on Thursday, May 16, when the Fever host the New York Liberty.
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