Just a few weeks after playing in the NCAA championship game, Clark made her WNBA debut for the Indiana Fever in a preseason game against the Dallas Wings on Friday night. She hit three three-pointers in the first quarter and scored a game-high 21 points.
But it wasn't enough for the win as All-Star Arike Ogunbowale sunk the Fever with a three-pointer with 3 seconds left in the Wings' 79-76 win.
Clark had a contested look, a game-tying three-pointer, but was well off target when the buzzer sounded.
The crowd on the road greets Clark with cheers
A crowd of 7,000 people came to the College Park Center in Arlington, Texas to see Clark's debut. They cheered loudly as she made her game-day debut as a WNBA player.
It didn't take long for Clark to give fans what they paid to see. With less than a minute to play, Clark rose from behind the arc on the right wing for her first three-point attempt in a WNBA uniform. It found the net with the Fever up 5-2.
Minutes later, she did it again. His second three-pointer extended Indiana's first-quarter lead to 14-3. He was then fouled on a 3-pointer and hit 2 of 3 free throws to give the Fever a 16-9 lead midway through the first.
With 2:55 left in the quarter, the junior knocked down fellow rookie and former Ohio State guard Jacy Sheldon (5th overall pick). He dropped the former Big Ten rival on the court to open up, then went over the top of the arc.
The officials didn't see enough contact to warrant a whistle, and Clark's 3 pushed Indiana's lead to 19-15. He then called his first timeout on the bench. When he came out of the game, he had 11 of Indiana's 19 points on 4/3 shooting.
When he came back at the start of the second quarter, he picked up where he left off. This time, she hit a step-back 3 against two-time All-Star Natasha Clark.
Clark's first assist went to Aliyah Boston
Before halftime, she displayed the playmaking that made her the NCAA's assist leader and last season's leading scorer. She did so alongside last year's No. 1 pick and WNBA Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston.
Midway through the second quarter, Clark stepped up to the top of the key and scored a double-team draw, allowing Boston to attack the basket. Clark found Boston in traffic with a jump transition that led to an open layup.
Foul trouble limited Clark at halftime. She picked up her third and fourth fouls on consecutive possessions in the third quarter and went to the bench midway through the quarter without a basket in the second half.
Indiana came back and led 62-60 with 6:55 left in the fourth quarter. The fifth triple of the game put Indiana ahead 67-65.
