Caitlin Clark catches fire from 3 in WNBA preseason; Arike Ogunbowale's late heroics send Wings past Fever

Clark tells four-time WNBA champion Sheryl Swoopes in the post-game interview she thought it was a "good kickoff to the WNBA season" and praised the atmosphere. There's little things she wants to clean up

"These are good learning experiences for us," Clark said. "This doesn't count [in the standings]. [We'll] go back and watch the film — film doesn't lie — and learn from that."

Clark tosses it up on a final shot to try and tie it from the corner. It doesn't go, but what a WNBA debut for the NCAA's all-time leading scorer.

Arike is stone cold in the final minutes of games (as fans of the college game know well). She puts Dallas up, 79-76, with a filthy step-back 3. Three seconds on the clock

Arike Ogunbowale would like a word. She ties the game at 76 with a floater in the final minute. Clark attempts a 3 that misses, Wheeler rebounds, Clark drives into a clear lane and is denied by Natasha Howard. Clark calls for a foul — her first late-game pleading for a call as a pro — but it's Howard's third block of the night.

Tie game, 26.7 seconds on the clock in what doesn't feel like a preseason contest at all

I really like Sides leaving her starters in here in a close game, even though it's a preseason opener. WNBA training camp is such a small window and the Fever's opening schedule is TOUGH (Connecticut, New York, Seattle, Las Vegas). Put them in the situation now when it doesn't matter in the standings and build from there.

Sure, another 3, why not. Clark hits off the inbound play on an assist by Erica Wheeler. Up to 19 points shooting 5-of-10 from 3-point range.

Sides subs her starters back in at 6:26 of the fourth quarter.

Clark is on the bench to start the fourth quarter. The only Fever starter out there is NaLyssa Smith. We'll see if she sees any more time tonight, or if Sides decides to see how players further down the depth chart handle a close game in the fourth quarter. Indiana lost 16 games by single digits last year, a growing pain given the youth on the team.

Such a pretty pull-up by Jaelyn Brown for her seventh bucket of the game. She's up to a game-high 17 points for Dallas and looks like a confident, comfortable vet out there. If Brown doesn't make the Wings roster, she'll likely land on some hardship contracts throughout the season to fill in for seven-day and 10-day stints.

That's the fourth turnover for Clark on another good defensive play by Dallas. There were times at Iowa that turnovers piled up and it will be a focus for improvement throughout the season against better defenders than she faced in college.

"Catch, shoot, from DFW."

Everyone prepped their deep-distance location calls, I see.

It will be interesting to see how much playing time Clark receives in the second half. The Fever have 15 players in camp and need to cut three before the season opener on May 14. There's one more preseason game on the schedule next week at home. Head coach Christie Sides will probably want to see more from those players in the mix for final roster spots.

The trio of NaLyssa Smith (16:31), Aliyah Boston (17:33) and Clark (16:05) each played at least five minutes more than any other Fever players in the first half. All are locks for the team and starting positions. Kelsey Mitchell (out, left ankle) and Katie Lou Samuelson (out, right ankle and coming back from maternity leave) will fill out the projected starting lineup when they're back.

Fittingly, Clark's first assist as a Fever player is to former No. 1 pick Aliyah Boston. There's what we've been waiting to see. Clark slipped a quick one through the paint for her to put away.

Clark adds a fourth 3 going to her left. The sold-out crowd in Arlington is getting the show they hoped to see. It's only preseason!

Clark played the first 7:33 of the game before subbing out. She has 11 of Indiana's 23 points on an efficient 3-of-4, all from beyond the arc. She added one early rebound, but no assists yet. Wings lead, 26-23. Jaelyn Brown, an undrafted rookie who played four years at Cal from 2016-20, leads Dallas with eight points. A

For years, Dallas has leaned too much on Arike Ogunbowale's scoring as its main offense. That changed last year with Natasha Howard in the mix and fully healthy season from Satou Sabally. Jacy Sheldon showing early she can be a great offensive addition to the team as a top-five pick out of Ohio State. She's been tasked early with guarding Clark.

Jacy Sheldon fouls Caitlin Clark as if it's two months ago and we're watching the Big Ten. That was one of her chuck-it-up attempts when no passing lanes are available, but having Boston and Smith to clean up rebounds will be a huge help when those miss. Clark is up to eight points in five minutes.

My goodness, ANOTHER 3 from Clark and it's from feet behind the line. Forces Dallas head coach Latricia Trammell to take a timeout.

Clark also had a rebound within the first minute off Dallas' missed opening possession. If this were hockey, she'd also have an assist on that first Indiana bucket by Smith. But, alas.

First 3 attempt, first make by Clark in the pros.

Caitlin Clark gets the start in her pro preseason debut. Aliyah Boston, NaLyssa Smith, Lexie Hull and Erica Wheeler return to the starting lineup from last year. But Wheeler, who regularly played at point guard, will likely come off the bench when Kelsey Mitchell returns from an ankle injury. Mitchell moved down to fourth on the NCAA DI all-time women's scoring list when Clark (No. 1) and Dyaisha Fair (No. 3) passed her this year.

It’s almost time for the 2024 WNBA preseason to tip off! The short preseason begins this Friday, May 3 with Caitlin Clark’s new team, the Indiana Fever, facing off against the Dallas Wings. The preseason will come to a close on May 11, and the regular WNBA season tips off Tuesday, May 14, when Caitlin Clark will make her official WNBA season debut. But the high-profile Indiana Fever rookie won’t be the only exciting new face on the court. The Fever also heads into the 2024 season with reigning Rookie of the Year, Aliyah Boston.

Are you ready to watch the 2024 WNBA preseason? Here’s everything you need to know about how to tune into preseason games, including Friday’s Indiana at Dallas match.

Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Cameron Brink and Kamilla Cardoso are officially WNBA players.

Now what?

There has been no more pivotal moment for the WNBA than this one with ready-made household names entering a league that has struggled for much of its existence to build them. The only thing comparable would be its launch in 1997 with Olympic superstars. The task now is to keep the audience developed in the collegiate ranks as upward of 24 million watched Clark, the No. 1 overall pick of the Fever, and Cardoso, the No. 3 selection of the Sky, in the national championship game.

It’s not only the Clark Effect, though she’s such a huge star her pregame for the draft was a cameo appearance on “Saturday Night Live.” Each time WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert stepped to the WNBA Draft podium at the Brooklyn Academy of Music on Monday, she announced another established star with hundreds of thousands of social followers.

“This is my 1997 moment,” WNBA chief marketing officer Phil Cook told Yahoo Sports ahead of the draft. “You have household names coming in. You have an amazing league. The benefit I have is an amazing platform that’s been built for the last 27 years that they’re just walking over to.”

Read the full story here.

Caitlin Clark is accustomed to dropping 30-pieces and breaking scoring records. Her own point totals are not what has her excited about officially joining the Indiana Fever as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft.

It’s the ones to come from Aliyah Boston, the Fever’s 2023 No. 1 overall pick whom Clark called “one of the best post players in the entire world.”

“My point guard eyes just light up at that,” Clark said Monday night at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

The general consensus from analysts, league evaluators and Clark herself is that the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer’s passing ability is what will quickly translate to the professional level. Boston, an analyst covering Iowa for the Big Ten Network this season, told a group of reporters the same hours before the draft.

“Everyone talks about her shots and, obviously, not everyone can shoot from the logo,” the league’s reigning Rookie of the Year said. “But I think for me [it’s] her ability, one, to run the floor … but also to be able to make those passes to teammates [and] to find an open player.”

It’s welcome news for the Fever after ranking 11th out of 12 teams in assists per game last season despite Boston dominating the paint and Kelsey Mitchell, one of the NCAA’s best scorers, lighting up the scoreboard. Clark is poised to ensure she can raise the level for Indiana, a team on the cusp of regular title contention.

Read the full story here.