Why Caitlin Clark Was 'Proud' of Herself Despite Fever's Overtime Loss to Mystics

Despite falling 104-102 to the Washington Mystics in overtime on Friday, Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark was happy with her performance after a slow start to the season by her standards.

Clark finished with 32 points, eight assists and four rebounds, and five of the seven three-pointers she made came in the fourth quarter, including one with 3.1 seconds left to force OT.

Caitlin Clark Scores 30+ In Loss

00:45

Speaking to reporters after the game, Clark discussed finding her three-point shooting stroke, saying, "I felt like I could have made another, like, five. They're all right there, and obviously it was great to break through and get some to go down. That's the hardest thing as a basketball player, when you're not making shots, to really stay in it. So I'm certainly proud of myself—really, really battled. And a lot of those shots are very, very makeable."

The 24-year-old Clark made just three out of 16 three-point attempts over the first two games of the season—a 107-104 loss to the Dallas Wings and a 87-78 win over the Los Angeles Sparks.

Mystics-Fever Highlights

02:02

Clark is shooting a more respectable 30.3 percent from deep after Friday's performance, plus she's averaging 25.3 points, 8.0 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 3.3 three-pointers made and 1.3 steals per contest.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA draft and 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year was limited to just 13 games last season due to injury, so she may still be knocking the proverbial rust off early in the 2026 campaign.

Although her shooting hasn't been particularly efficient, her 25.3 points per game will mark a career high by far if she can keep it up over the course of the season.

Last season, without Clark, the Fever made it all the way to the semifinals of the playoffs, losing 3-2 to the eventual WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces.

Because of that, the Fever were viewed as a team with a chance to go on a deep run and potentially win a championship with Clark leading the way this season.

That could still prove true even with the Fever starting 1-2, especially if Friday's showing unlocks something for Clark offensively moving forward.