Yardbarker
x

Maybe it was just a preseason game, but Caitlin Clark had no trouble wowing the crowd in her WNBA debut with the Indiana Fever. The rookie out of Iowa dropped 21 points in Friday night's contest against the Dallas Wings.

Clark led the Fever in scoring, while also collecting three rebounds and dishing out two assists. She was six-of-15 from the floor, which included a five-of-13 mark from 3-point range. It wasn't enough to get Indiana to a win, as the Fever fell 79-76 to Dallas.

While the Fever undoubtedly would've liked to get the win, coach Christie Sides said the primary goal was to get everyone on the floor as the team continues to learn from one another.

That includes Clark, who is still transitioning from the college game to the WNBA. As much talent as she has, there's still a learning curve.

"She got some shots up, she was able to hit some big shots. But we're still flowing, we're still learning each other," Sides said. "I think she works really hard to get some shots, and she doesn't have to work as hard anymore."

Clark gave a lot of credit to the scheme and her teammates when asked how she was able to put 21 points on the stat sheet. But she also acknowledged that she has some things to work on moving forward.

"I thought our pick-and-roll was really good. I though we could've even got more pick-and-roll stuff," Clark said. "I came off screens well and my teammates found me for some good looks. Those were the biggest things. At times, I don't need to dribble as much, just move the ball and reverse the ball, set and use screens a little better. I think that will help me conserve some of my energy a little bit better."

Indiana will play its second and final preseason game on Thursday, May 9, hosting the Atlanta Dream. The Fever then open the regular season against the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday, May 14.

The Big Ten Softball Tournament bracket is set. The regular season concluded last weekend and this year's event is scheduled to run from Wednesday, May 8 through Saturday, May 11.

Twelve teams are included in the conference tournament with the top-four spots receiving a first-round bye. Those teams are Northwestern (No. 1), Michigan (No. 2), Rutgers (No. 3) and Nebraska (No. 4).

FIrst-round matchups include: No. 8 Indiana vs. No. 9 Purdue; No. 5 Minnesota vs. No. 12 Illinois; No. 7 Penn State vs. No. 10 Maryland and No. 6 Ohio State vs. No. 11 Wisconsin.

This year's tournament is being held in Iowa City at Bob Pearl Field. Here's a complete look at the bracket, as shared by the Big Ten Conference.

This article first appeared on FanNation Boilermakers Country and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

+

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.