Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever have faced plenty of criticism over the past week following a turbulent start to the season, but the star guard battled through illness on Thursday night to help lead her team to an 83-71 victory over the Atlanta Dream at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The Fever entered the game on the back of consecutive losses to the Golden State Valkyries and Portland Fire and held a 4-4 record on the season. At times, the team appeared to lack chemistry, with a fiery exchange between Clark and head coach Stephanie White during the loss to the Fire becoming a major talking point.
Much of the criticism was directed at both Clark and White, but the Fever responded on Thursday behind a 25-point performance from Kelsey Mitchell. Clark added 17 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds in 31 minutes, while Aliyah Boston contributed 19 points and seven rebounds.
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With the win, Indiana improved to 5-4 on the season and moved into third place in the Eastern Conference. When asked after the game whether the victory improved the team's morale, Clark instead addressed the recent criticism.
"I'm gonna say this in the nicest way possible, but hopefully it makes a lot of people just be quiet," she said. "I know there's always going to be conversation, and I totally respect that, and I always understand that, but the sky is not falling."
Earlier in their last game, Indiana suffered its largest defeat of the season, a 16-point loss to the Fire. Clark struggled throughout the game, spending much of the night in foul trouble and finishing with only six points on 1-of-7 shooting in 21 minutes.
With Clark also involved in a heated exchange with White, the criticism continued to mount. However, she was determined to respond on Thursday and even battled through a bout of illness that caused her to vomit at halftime.
The two-time WNBA All-Star said she threw up before the start of the second half, adding that she hadn't "puked that much in a really long time."
“A little sick,” Clark said when asked how she’s feeling. “I tried to eat some applesauce, and then it just came up, and then everything else in my stomach also came up. I thought I was going to stay down, and then I found the trash can.”
Clark said she felt better after the incident and eventually helped Indiana secure an important victory. The Fever will now travel to Barclays Center on Saturday night to face Breanna Stewart and the New York Liberty.
