Indiana

Caitlin Clark Struggles In Playoff Debut As Indiana Fever Are Blown Out

Published

1 year ago

September 22, 2024

Caitlin Clark Struggles In Playoff Debut As Indiana Fever Are Blown Out

Caitlin Clak and her Indiana Fever were blown out by the Connecticut Sun on Sunday (AP Photo/Michael … [+] Conroy)

Caitlin Clark earned WNBA Rookie of the Year honors mere hours before the Indiana Fever were set to take on the Connecticut Sun in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series on Sunday.

Clark is coming off an historic regular season in which the generational talent broke multiple records. She also led a previously struggling Fever organization to a surprising playoff appearance after they posted a 13-27 record last season when Clark was balling out for the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Would earning this honor lead to inspired play for Clark against the heavily favored Sun in Connecticut on Sunday?

Almost immediately, this was proven not to be the case. Clark struggled in nearly every aspect of the game as Indiana was blown out by the score of 93-69.

The guard scored a mere 11 points on 4-of-17 shooting from the field. That included hitting on just 2-of-13 from three-point range. While Clark did add eight assists and three steals, these struggles shooting played a huge role in the Fever getting blown out.

Caitlin Clark Struggles In WNBA Playoff Debut

Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark struggled big time in her WNBA Playoff debut on Sunday (AP … [+] Photo/Michael Conroy)

It can’t be considered too much of a surprise that Clark looked to be in over her head in this one. Connecticut finished the regular season with a 28-12 record. Its defense ranked first in the WNBA in points against at 73.6 points per game. Opponents hit on just 31 percent of their three-point shots against this squad.

It was always going to be difficult for Clark against this team. Given the Sun’s status as a heavy favorite heading into the series, and that’s magnified further.

For her part, Clark seemingly blamed officiating for playing a role in the Fever’s ugly Game 1 loss.

“We were right there, I felt like we just played a crappy game,” Clark told reporters. “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 time(s), but also the clock getting messed up, it was just one thing after the next.”

I am not sure how much officiating played a role in what ended up being a 24-point loss. If we were talking about a closer game, this would be a different story.

As Clark struggled, other Indiana stars did their thing. Kelsey Mitchell scored 21 points on 9-of-20 shooting. However, she also hit on just 2-of-10 from three-point range. Aliyah Boston contributed 17 points and 11 rebounds.

It did not matter. The Fever need Clark to play better if they are going to extend their season with Game 2 in the best-of-three slated for Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut on Wednesday.

For now, this has to be considered a learning experience for Clark. She just did not have it in her postseason debut on Sunday.

One thing is for sure. Clark is not lacking confidence with Indiana on the brink of elimination.

“We can win,” Clark told reporters. “It’s not anything about the building, it’s not about the gym, it’s not about the hoops. I have all the confidence in the world in this team, and everybody in our locker room does and I know we’ll be a lot better Wednesday.”

This confidence could very well lead to a rebound performance as Indiana looks to force a Game 3 at home Friday night.

The larger problem here is fixing the shooting issues we saw from Clark on Sunday. She can play well in other aspects of the game. But Indiana certainly needs her to score more and be efficient. That wasn’t the case on Sunday. The numbers and tape tell us this story.

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Indiana

How trajectories of Indiana, Purdue turned Bucket game into one-sided rivalry

Published

2 hours ago

November 29, 2025

Press Room

How trajectories of Indiana, Purdue turned Bucket game into one-sided rivalry

WEST LAFAYETTE — Indiana football is firmly in control of the Old Oaken Bucket.

The No. 2 Hoosiers (12-0, 9-0 Big Ten) beat Purdue 56-3 on Friday night at Ross-Ade Stadium to keep the trophy in Bloomington for a second straight year.

Indiana has put together consecutive wins against the Boilermakers that rank among the most dominant pair of victories in the history of the series.

This is the first time in eight decades the Hoosiers have held their rival without a touchdown in two straight games. Their margin of victory in the wins (119 points) is the most in program history and third most all-time for either team.

The other games on the list? Those happened back in the 1890s.

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti has fueled the Hoosiers recent success, but he took a measured approach when talking about the current state of the rivalry.

“The fact that we’ve outscored them like we have, it’s just a fact where we are at and where they are at right now,” Cignetti said. “They are going to get better, there’s no doubt in my mind that they are going to get better. Coach (Barry Odom) is going to do a great job of improving that roster and coaching that football team, they sort of hit rock bottom, it timed up with my arrival.”

Odom steered clear of addressing the rivalry head on as well. He thanked the fans for supporting the team throughout the 2025 season even though they didn’t give them much to cheer about.

“I’ll get it fixed,” Odom said.

The game on Friday night showed he had a long way to go as did the makeup of the crowd. By the final whistle, the sections behind IU’s bench were completely full of fans decked out in crimson.

“I think we pretty much took over the stadium tonight,” Indiana linebacker Aiden Fisher said. “This game, this rivalry, means a lot to former players, alums and fans, everybody included in Indiana football. When you travel like that, it can feel like a home environment at times, it’s special.”

Want more Hoosiers coverage? Sign up for IndyStar’s Hoosiers newsletter. Listen to Mind Your Banners, our IU Athletics-centric podcast, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch the latest on IndyStar TV: Hoosiers.

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Indiana

How to Watch Indiana vs Purdue: Live Stream NCAA College Football, TV Channel

Published

21 hours ago

November 28, 2025

Press Room

The Indiana Hoosiers face the Purdue Boilermakers in this Black Friday college football matchup at Ross-Ade Stadium.

How to Watch Indiana vs Purdue

When: Friday, November 28, 2025
Time: 7:30 PM ET
Live Stream: Peacock (watch now)

The Hoosiers come into this rivalry showdown riding one of the greatest seasons in program history. Indiana is 11-0 overall and 8-0 in the Big Ten, ranked No. 2 nationally in the College Football Playoff rankings. With a win tonight, Indiana could complete its first-ever perfect regular season and punch a ticket to the conference championship. Offensively and defensively, they’ve been elite with their offense averaging over 40 points per game this year, and their defense allowing one of the lowest points-per-game marks in the country.

On the other side, Purdue enters at 2-9 (0-8 in the Big Ten), having lost nine straight games. The gap between the two teams in terms of consistency, depth and momentum is massive, not helped by the fact that last season Indiana crushed Purdue 66–0, the worst loss in series history for the Boilermakers. That said, rivalry games often carry a different kind of intensity, and Purdue, now under a new head coach, may push hard for pride and a spoiler-upset, especially playing at home under the lights at Ross-Ade Stadium.

This is a great college football matchup that you will not want to miss; make sure to tune in and catch all the action.

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Indiana

County-by-County: Snow forecast for Central Indiana

Published

2 days ago

November 28, 2025

Press Room

County-by-County: Snow forecast for Central Indiana

It’s Thanksgiving weekend and the WRTV weather team has broken down, by county, what to watch for as snow is set to hit several parts of Central Indiana. We likely start out Saturday dry then snow fills in around midday. Temperatures will be close to the freezing mark, so it is likely we switch over to a rain snow mix. Most in Central Indiana will pick up a few inches of snow with higher totals north and more of a rain/snow mix south. It will be a heavy wet snow so it will compact as it falls

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