WNBA Surprising Acts: Caitlin Clark need 180 points to break a record that was set by…..

Caitlin Clark resembled the promising rookie expected to excel in the WNBA, but her 21 points weren’t enough to prevent the Indiana Fever from their fifth consecutive loss, an 85-83 defeat to the Seattle Storm. Jewell Loyd led Seattle with a double-double, scoring 32 points and grabbing 11 rebounds, while Nneka Ogwumike added 22 points.

Clark voiced her frustration over close losses after the Fever’s narrow defeat to the Storm marked their fifth straight loss this season. Despite her ankle injury concerns, Clark managed to score 21 points, showing glimpses of her potential.

Indiana has lost all five of their opening games, and though Clark tried to inspire a comeback in the second half, the Storm managed to maintain their lead. “These two definitely hurt the most,” Clark said, referring to their previous 88-84 loss to the Connecticut Sun. “It’s just that close and there’s so many instances going back and watching the film and little things you can easily fix and clean up that would go a really long way.”

Loyd attributed her stellar performance to being in a “good headspace,” noting a slight change in her routine helped her find rhythm. Another highlight for Seattle was Croatia’s Nika Muhl, who made her WNBA debut after resolving visa issues. Muhl arrived at the game wearing a t-shirt that said ‘Approved,’ aiming to add humor to the situation.

“I saw people being mad and so many things online and I wanted to make something funny out of this, to make people laugh,” said Muhl, who was drafted alongside Clark. “I’m very happy to have played my first game against her. I love Caitlin. We had a lot of fun at the draft together. On the floor, you want to compete, but outside we’re all good friends and support each other.”

The Indiana Fever will seek their first win of the season against the Los Angeles Sparks, in the early hours of Friday morning UK time (0200 BST).

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