Indiana Fever attracts 17,274 fans for Caitlin Clark’s home debut against Liberty, surpasses the Pacers' average attendance

By Aharon Abhishek

Modified May 17, 2024 06:09 GMT

Caitlin Clark made her home game debut in front of 17,274 fans. The attendance surpassed the average attendance of the Indiana Pacers, the men's NBA team from the city of Indianapolis.

The WNBA No. 1 Draft pick suited up against the New York Liberty at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Thursday. The cheers and support for Clark were on full display, but the Liberty played spoilsport by notching up a dominant 102-66 win.

The average attendance for a Pacers game is an estimated 16,466 in an arena with a seating capacity of 20,000. Such has been the spotlight on Clark, the Iowa Hawkeyes guard, that the Fever saw a record attendance just for the 22-year-old's introduction to the WNBA.

Clark ended her evening with nine points, seven rebounds and six assists, going 2-8 from the field.

There was improvement in the turnovers department, as she recorded just three against NY after 10 in the season-opening loss to the Sun at Connecticut. After her 20 points in the first game, Caitlin Clark had a wobbly day against a stern Liberty outfit whose pressing defense stifled the guard.

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Caitlin Clark explains the challenges she faced against New York Liberty

Caitlin Clark outlined the challenges she faced against the New York Liberty. She explained how the pace of the game was something she had to get used to. According to ESPN, she also echoed optimism:

"The physicality is up there. ... I'm easily pushed off screens. The game seems a little fast for me right now. The more I play and the more comfortable I get, it's going to slow down a little bit.

"It will be easier for me to make reads, see things develop. When you're in this league, there's 12 teams -- everybody's good across the board," Clark said before the game. "We've got a young group. But as long as we're learning and continuing to get better, that's what's going to be positive for us."

There has been a massive buzz around the Fever because of Clark. But despite the attention, the Fever hasn't made the WNBA playoffs since 2016.

It comprises players who are in their respective third, second and first years in the league — NaLyssa Smith, Aliyah Boston and Clark -- along with Katie Lou Samuelson. Up next, the Fever travel to New York to face the Liberty again on Saturday.