The Indiana Fever‘s newest player Caitlin Clark seemingly sparked a sellout crowd Friday at an away game in Texas.
Clark scored 21 points that included five three-point shots, the first of which came within the first minute of the game, which her team ultimately lost. The Dallas Wings beat the Fever 79 to 76. Still, even in the preseason and away from her home court, Clark had fans awaiting her autograph after the game.
“Overall, a lot to learn from,” Clark said of the game. “These are great learning experiences for us.”
All 6,251 seats were filled Friday to watch Clark tie for highest-scorer with Wings’s player and fellow rookie Jaelyn Brown. Clark banked three rebounds and sat out for the final five minutes of the game after she made four fouls.
As the No. 1 WNBA draft pick, Clark has kept her classic number 22 jersey. During the senior year of her college career, she was named NCAA Player of the Year.
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Last month, the University of South Carolina’s Lady Gamecocks basketball team defeated Clark’s University of Iowa’s Lady Hawkeyes 87-75 in the NCAA Tournament championship. Still, the Hawkeyes’ superstar player Clark broke another scoring record within the first quarter after she made 18 points, the most during a championship first quarter.
The University of Iowa also benefitted from Clark’s stardom, with more fans in attendance to watch her play while a student-athlete there. There was a 46% increase in ticket sales during Clark’s senior year from the year before.
