May 15 (UPI) -- Caitlin Clark scored 20 points, but said she struggled with physicality, after making just 5 of 15 shots and totaling 10 turnovers in her WNBA debut, a 92-71 Indiana Fever loss to the Connecticut Sun.
"There is a lot to learn from," Clark told reporters at her postgame news conference Tuesday in Uncasville, Conn. "It's the first one. There is going to be good ones and going to be bad ones.
"Like we said in the locker room: we play on Thursday. You've gotta learn from it and move on and be ready to go."
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft went 0 for 3 and failed to score in the first quarter, when she was limited to just 5:13 of action because of foul trouble.
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She went on to score seven in the second, five in the third and eight in the fourth.
"She's a rookie in this league," Fever coach Christie Sides said. "This is the best league in this world. We've gotta teach her what these games are going to look like for her every single night.
"We've gotta eliminate some of that pressure for her. That's on me. That's on my staff to figure out."
Clark, known for her 3-point marksmanship at the collegiate level, made 4 of 11 attempts from downtown. She also logged three assists, two steals and four fouls. But her 10 turnovers were a WNBA record for a player making a career debut.
Clark scored the first points of her WNBA career with a layup midway through the second quarter. She made her first 3-pointer about five minutes later.
The Sun led the Fever 49-39 at halftime and outscored their foes 43-32 in the second half. They outscored the Fever 32-28 in the paint, 29-14 in points off turnovers and 15-6 in second-chance points. They led by as many as 23 points.
"It was definitely the physicality," Clark said, when asked about the reason for her struggles. "Also, some uncharacteristic stuff. I picked up the ball and traveled, dribble off my foot, on the inbound, I turned it over. You have to be crisper."
Forward NaLyssa Smith led the Fever with 13 points and nine rebounds. DeWanna Bonner scored 20 points for the Sun. Alyssa Thomas chipped in 13 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds in the victory.
The Fever will host the New York Liberty in their regular-season opener at 7 p.m. EDT on Thursday in Indianapolis.
