Breanna Stewart dominates as Caitlin Clark's home debut goes sour

Breanna Stewart ensured Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark faced significant challenges on her WNBA home debut. Clark faced difficulties with fouls, managing expectations, and, like many rookies, adjusting from collegiate to professional basketball.

However, she quickly realized that there was no leniency in this league, as demonstrated during Thursday night's game. Breanna Stewart, a two-time league MVP, dashed Clark's hopes for a triumphant regular-season home debut by contributing 31 points to lead the New York Liberty to a commanding 102-66 victory in front of a capacity crowd of 17,247.

Clark's impact on women's basketball has been profound, yet it hasn't translated to immediate success for Indiana in terms of wins. The team, which hasn't reached the playoffs since 2016, remains winless at 0-2 since Clark's arrival.

Indianapolis witnessed a rookie debut brimming with excitement, reminiscent of the fervor surrounding Peyton Manning's entry into the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts back in 1998. Yet, despite the anticipation, the outcome diverged from the scripted expectations.

Breanna Stewart continues her MVP dominance, Caitlin Clark's shooting woes continue

In the opening half, Caitlin accrued three fouls, adding a fourth early into the third quarter. During an early second-quarter benching, Clark vented her frustrations by aggressively manipulating a towel. At one juncture following a Fever error, she flung the ball over her head in frustration towards the referee.

Clark concluded the game with nine points, seven rebounds, and six assists, indicating notable improvement by limiting her turnovers to three, with none occurring after the initial quarter.

This marked a significant stride from her performance in Tuesday night's season opener, where she tallied 10 turnovers. However, Clark's shooting accuracy left room for improvement, as she converted only 2 of 8 attempts from the field and just 1 of 7 from beyond the arc.

Stewart played a pivotal role in New York's early dominance, helping the team establish a 25-16 lead after the first quarter. Even when the Fever narrowed the gap to 32-27 midway through the second quarter, Stewart stepped up with four consecutive points, igniting a 12-0 run that extended the Liberty's lead to 44-27 late in the first half.

Indiana mounted a comeback effort by closing the third quarter with 12 unanswered points, with Caitlin Clark contributing seven of them, shrinking the deficit to 67-56 heading into the final quarter.

However, the defending Eastern Conference champions wasted no time in the fourth quarter, embarking on a 12-0 run of their own and securing their second consecutive victory.