Caitlin Clark ignites 13,000 fans upon debut in Indiana, urges for similar showing in 1 week

Rookie Caitlin Clark treated nearly 13,000 fans who came to see her Indiana debut with an all-around performance on Thursday. She then urged them to continue supporting the Fever as they gear up to begin their WNBA campaign.

The Fever played their final preseason game against the Atlanta Dream at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis and came away with an 83-80 victory.

Clark, the top overall pick in this year's WNBA draft from the University of Iowa, played 32 minutes and finished with all-around numbers of 12 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

She struggled with her shooting, going 4-of-12 from the field and 2-of-9 from three, but her teammates ably backed her up.

NaLyssa Smith, in particular, was solid with a team-high 21 points, with Katie Lou Samuelson and Aliyah Boston finishing with 11 points each in the win.

The nearly 13,000 crowd that caught the game live in the venue doubled the attendance high last season, where the Fever averaged a crowd of 4,000 per game.

The Fever will begin their WNBA campaign on May 14 on the road against the Connecticut Sun. They will have their first home regular season game against 2023 WNBA finalists New York Liberty on May 16.

For the Liberty game, Caitlin Clark urged the Indiana faithful to support the team and pack the arena, saying:

"You (crowd) are amazing. Thanks for coming out for our preseason game. This is just the start. We hope to see you all next week, on Thursday, against the Liberty. It should be a lot of fun. So, we appreciate you guys."

Caitlin Clark looking forward to start of the WNBA regular season

Now that the preseason is done, Indiana Fever prized rookie Caitlin Clark looks forward to the start of the WNBA regular season grind, where she hopes to continue improving her skills and building her foundation as a professional player.

The 22-year-old star guard shared this in an interview following their final preseason game against the Atlanta Dream on Thursday, where they won, 83-80. The former Iowa Hawkeye standout said:

"[Now that the regular season is about to begin] I'm just looking forward to continue to be better every single day. Now it's really real. That's what we work for..."

Caitlin Clark saw action in each of their two preseason games. She averaged 30 minutes of play and posted numbers of 16.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and four assists.

In Indiana, she will try to help a team that finished last in the Eastern Conference last season and 10th overall in the league, with a 13-27 win-loss record.

Apart from Clark, the Fever also selected Celeste Taylor from Ohio State in the second round of this year's draft as well as Leilani Correa from Florida in the third round.