“This is the Caitlin Clark effect"- Riley Gaines lauds WNBA star for attracting massive crowd in Indiana Fever's away game

Riley Gaines recently lauded Caitlin Clark after fans were captured cheering for her in Indiana Fever’s away game against the Connecticut Sun at the Mohegan Sun Arena. Indiana Fever eventually lost the match 72-89 as the Connecticut Sun registered their 11th consecutive series win.

For the Connecticut Sun, DiJonai Carrington and DeWanna Bonner scored 22 and 17 points, respectively, to help their team win the game.

Gaines shared a glimpse from the game where the audience was seen cheering for Clark and commented about the enormous support that Clark received from the fans despite it being an away game.

“And this is an away game... 🤯 this is the Caitlin Clark effect,” she stated.

In the viral video, fans were seen chanting, "We want Caitlin." However, Clark didn’t have a great outing as she could only score 10 points throughout the match, which came during the first half. After picking up her fourth foul in the third quarter, she did not come back to the game in the fourth.

Clark is renowned for being one of the best female collegiate basketball players of all time. While representing the Iowa Hawkeyes, she became the National Collegiate Athletics Association's (NCAA) all-time highest scorer in both men's and women’s basketball history when she achieved 3,685 career points.

Clark concluded her collegiate career with a sensational 3,951 points from 139 games. In addition, Clark was a member of the United States junior squad (U19), as she played a crucial role in their gold-medal wins at the FIBA Under-19 World Cup twice in 2019 and 2021.

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Riley Gaines reacts as Caitlin Clark is snubbed from USA Women's Basketball roster for Paris Olympics

Riley Gaines testifies during a House Oversight Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services hearing on Capitol Hill December 5, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Former American collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines expressed her disappointment after Caitlin Clark was left out of the USA basketball squad for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Gaines took to her X handle to showcase her displeasure, stating:

“Caitlin Clark should be on the Women's US Olympic Basketball team. That's it. That's the tweet.”

The women’s basketball event is scheduled from July 28 to August 11, with the preliminary stages taking place at Pierre Mauroy Stadium and the final stage being staged at the Accor Arena in Paris.

A'ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, and Diana Taurasi are among the twelve athletes that the USA has announced as part of their squad in an attempt to win ten Olympic gold medals.