Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever eliminated from the playoffs after loss to Connecticut

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) — Caitlin Clark did everything she could to help the Indiana Fever avoid elimination. It just wasn’t enough.

The sensational rookie scored 25 points and had nine assists in Indiana’s 87-81 loss to Connecticut in Game 2. A much better night than her playoff debut, when she scored just 11 points on 4 of 17 shooting.

Clark had a record-breaking season on and off the court, breaking the single-season assist record and setting the league single-game scoring record. The unanimous AP Rookie of the Year also broke the rookie record for most points in a season.

“I’m a tough evaluator. I feel like I had a solid year,” Clark said. “For me, the fun part is I feel like I’m just scratching the surface and I’m the one who nitpicks about everything I do. I know I want to help this franchise. … I know I have a lot of room to continue to improve, and that’s what excites me the most. I feel like I’m getting better and better.”

Now she has some time to relax, recover and reflect on her year. With the exception of the Olympic break, Clark has little time to rest as she goes straight from college to the WNBA draft and then to the pros.

“Basketball has been my life for a year. It will be good to look back on everything that happened,” Clark said. “I didn’t have time to think about my college career, it ended so quickly. I gave everything for my team and helped this team get back to the playoffs. I want to take some time for myself, enjoy this and look back.”

Indiana recovered from a 1-8 start to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

“It’s been special. This group has accomplished a lot of things that you wouldn’t have thought possible after the season started,” she said. “It’s definitely going to be a little weird for the first couple of weeks, and then I’ll get bored and go back to basketball.”

Off the court, Clark and her fellow rookie players have been a boon to the WNBA’s ratings and viewership. the devastating defeat in Game 1Fans tuned in as the game averaged 1.8 million viewers, according to ESPN, making it the most-watched WNBA playoff game since the 2000 Finals. It was the most-watched playoff game on ESPN ever, despite being against the NFL.

Six different league television partners set audience records for their most-watched WNBA game this year, and all of those games featured the Fever.

Thanks to Clark, Indiana led the league in both home and away attendance. The Fever averaged 17,036 at home and over 15,000 away. Four teams moved their home games to larger stadiums when Indiana came to town to accommodate more fans.

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