Big Ten Daily (May 6): Caitlin Clark Drops 21 in WNBA Preseason Debut

In her WNBA debut with the Indiana Fever, Caitlin Clark scored 21 points, grabbed three rebounds and dished out two assists. It was her first taste of basketball at the professional level.

Dustin Schutte | May 6, 2024

May 3, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) shoots during the second / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

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Indiana Fever

Maybe it was just a preseason game, but Caitlin Clark had no trouble wowing the crowd in her WNBA debut with the Indiana Fever. The rookie out of Iowa dropped 21 points in Friday night's contest against the Dallas Wings.

Clark led the Fever in scoring, while also collecting three rebounds and dishing out two assists. She was six-of-15 from the floor, which included a five-of-13 mark from 3-point range. It wasn't enough to get Indiana to a win, as the Fever fell 79-76 to Dallas.

Yes, you should get the WNBA League Pass.
Look at these Caitlin Clark shots! pic.twitter.com/Mx3eTb0vUf
— David Astramskas (@redapples) May 4, 2024

While the Fever undoubtedly would've liked to get the win, coach Christie Sides said the primary goal was to get everyone on the floor as the team continues to learn from one another.

That includes Clark, who is still transitioning from the college game to the WNBA. As much talent as she has, there's still a learning curve.

"She got some shots up, she was able to hit some big shots. But we're still flowing, we're still learning each other," Sides said. "I think she works really hard to get some shots, and she doesn't have to work as hard anymore."

Clark gave a lot of credit to the scheme and her teammates when asked how she was able to put 21 points on the stat sheet. But she also acknowledged that she has some things to work on moving forward.

"I thought our pick-and-roll was really good. I though we could've even got more pick-and-roll stuff," Clark said. "I came off screens well and my teammates found me for some good looks. Those were the biggest things. At times, I don't need to dribble as much, just move the ball and reverse the ball, set and use screens a little better. I think that will help me conserve some of my energy a little bit better."

Indiana will play its second and final preseason game on Thursday, May 9, hosting the Atlanta Dream. The Fever then open the regular season against the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday, May 14.

Big Ten Softball Tournament bracket set

The Big Ten Softball Tournament bracket is set. The regular season concluded last weekend and this year's event is scheduled to run from Wednesday, May 8 through Saturday, May 11.

Twelve teams are included in the conference tournament with the top-four spots receiving a first-round bye. Those teams are Northwestern (No. 1), Michigan (No. 2), Rutgers (No. 3) and Nebraska (No. 4).

FIrst-round matchups include: No. 8 Indiana vs. No. 9 Purdue; No. 5 Minnesota vs. No. 12 Illinois; No. 7 Penn State vs. No. 10 Maryland and No. 6 Ohio State vs. No. 11 Wisconsin.

This year's tournament is being held in Iowa City at Bob Pearl Field. Here's a complete look at the bracket, as shared by the Big Ten Conference.

2024 #B1G Softball Tournament Bracket Released https://t.co/YBN2caeRpJ pic.twitter.com/xNsJiNsSMF
— Big Ten Softball (@B1Gsoftball) May 5, 2024

Big Ten Softball Tournament bracket set

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