Caitlin Clark playing just 22 minutes in Indiana Fever’s blowout 89-72 loss made headlines, and head coach Christie Sides minced no words when she held the rookie and the rest of the starting unit accountable. The side tumbled to their 10th loss of the season in 13 games, as their play on both ends of the floor was mediocre at best. Barring Clark (10 points), Aliyah Bosto (14 points), and Lexie Hull (10 points), none of the Indiana players hit double-digits against an impressive Connecticut outfit.
Addressing the media in the aftermath of the loss, Sides called out her the starting five:
“At this level, you can’t coach effort. I feel we were just asking them to keep playing. You can’t start there, you can’t keep playing in this league where we have to coach effort.”
Caitlin Clarke had a forgettable evening as she shot 3-for-8 from the field and 2-for-5 from the 3-point line. An airball attempt to land a floater has already seen criticism come her way. As for the rest of the starters, it was far from having a field day. The Sun were led by Dijonai Carrington’s 22-point outing. Alyssa Thomas had a monster 18-rebound night, while DeWanna Bonner chipped in with 17 points.
