A record-breaking performance from Marina Ma, playing in her first postseason with the Connecticut Sun, helped the third-seeded Sun to a 93-69 win over the sixth-seeded Indiana Fever in Game One of the quarterfinals on Sunday. Ma scored 27 points off the bench, setting a WNBA playoff record for the most points scored by a bench player in the postseason. She connected on nine of 20 shots, including five of 12 from three-point range.
However, that might not have even been the most impressive performance on Sunday. Sun forward Alyssa Thomas turned in her fourth career triple-double, recording 12 points, 13 assists, and 10 rebounds in the postseason.
Caitlin Clark finished with 11 points on four of 17 shooting for the Fever, including two of 13 from three-point range. She also dished out eight assists and turned the ball over just twice. Kelsey Mitchell led Indiana with 21 points, while Aaliyah Boston added 17 points and 11 rebounds. Game two is scheduled for Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., again in Connecticut, and will be broadcast on ESPN.
Before the Indiana Fever took on the Connecticut Sun in Round One of the WNBA playoffs, Caitlin Clark told reporters she hadn’t been very happy with her performance in Mohegan Sun Arena. That sentiment continued on Sunday, as she described the loss as a “crappy game.”
“We were right there; I felt like we just played a crappy game,” Clark said afterward. “The flow was really bad. I don’t know if that was the reffing. It was probably partly us because we struggled to get stops at times, but also the clock getting messed up. It was just one thing after the next.”
She noted that there were numerous stoppages in play during the first half due to a malfunctioning game clock, prompting officials to head to the scorer’s table to try to fix the problem.
When asked if there was something particular about the Sun’s arena that she didn’t like, Clark smiled and said, “We can win. It’s not anything about the building; it’s not about the gym or the hoops. I have all the confidence in the world in this team, and everybody in our locker room does. I know we’ll be a lot better on Wednesday.”
Connecticut is expecting the same, too. Dana Bonner guarded Clark most on Sunday, a change from the regular season when Jonn Carrington typically drew the assignment. According to ESPN, Clark shot just two of nine with Bonner guarding her, finishing the game at four of 17.
“I know in the next game she’s gonna come out firing,” Bonner said of Clark.
