Dallas Wings v Indiana Fever - Source: Getty

Caitlin Clark struggled on the offensive end in Game 1 of the first-round matchup against the Connecticut Sun. The Sun targeted the Indiana Fever rookie throughout the game without giving her enough opportunity to find open space for herself.

The entire Sun team knows how lethal Clark can be if she finds hold in the opponent’s defense, especially after how she played in the second half of the regular season. After the first half, Sun guard DeWanna Bonner had defended Clark three times and left her scoreless on all three occasions.

When Bonner was asked about her reaction to leaving Clark 0-3 under her defense, she had a very humble reply. She said that given how great Clark is, she knows she would come with a different mindset after halftime:

“Let me knock on some wood real quick. Because she is a great player and I know she is gonna come out at the half ready to go,” Bonner said.

Ultimately, the Fever rookie didn’t have any redemption in the second half either. She continued to shoot poorly under the suffocating defense of the Connecticut Sun.

Clark scored just 11 points while shooting only 4 of 17 from the field and 2 of 13 from the 3-point line. Even with four rebounds, eight assists, and three steals in the game, she was -20 in plus/minus.

Caitlin Clark left with black eye after being hit by Sun player in the first quarter

The poor performance of Caitlin Clark should not necessarily be related to anything other than the Sun’s suffocating defense. However, the early incident in the first quarter is worth considering the reason behind her struggle from the field.

Early in the game, Clark was hit in her eye area by Connecticut guard Dijonai Carrington.

On one of the plays, Clark, who was being guarded by Carrington, was looking to find a space to pass the ball. When Clark rose in the air to pass the ball to Aliyah Boston, Carrington also jumped to block the pass.

However, Carrington hit Clark in the right eye and the Fever rookie immediately flinched in pain. She fell on the floor while covering her right eye. Later, Caitlin Clark was snapped with a black eye sitting on the bench.

Clark knows that the Sun are much stronger than the Fever. However, she has also shown in the last two weeks of the regular season that she can successfully change the fate of the game. It will interesting to see how Caitlin Clark makes her comeback for Game 2 on September 26.