WNBA rookie Caitlin Clark will make her first appearance in the Southland, when the Indiana Fever roll into town against the Sparks on May 24, relocating from the Walter Pyramid at Cal State Long Beach.

She’ll face the No. 2 overall pick Cameron Brink and a rebuilding Sparks team looking to make their first postseason appearance since 2021.

Clark, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, scored 21 points with three rebounds, two assists and two steals in her preseason debut against the Dallas Wings in front of a sellout crowd in a preseason game.

Since the night she was drafted, her jersey has shattered WNBA jersey sales, selling out within the first day and doubled ticket sales. Since then, she’s been the face of the WNBA in anticipation for the WNBA season opener on May 14.

Earlier this month, Clark’s interaction with a reporter went viral, leading to the media member’s ban from Fever games for two weeks.

The Indiana Fever are looking for their first playoff appearance since 2016, winning their only WNBA title in 2012. Indiana will open their season against the Connecticut Sun on May 14.

College basketball’s all-time points leader took the University of Iowa to their first women’s national championship appearance in the school’s history, losing to South Carolina 87-75 and culminating one the greatest college basketball career’s ever.

Season-ticket holders can purchase their tickets early, with tickets releasing to the public on Thursday at 8 a.m.

In light of recent assaults in Southern California, women across the Southland are learning how to better protect themselves against random acts of violence.

There have been several high-profile attacks on women in the past weeks, including the vicious assaults of two females who were walking near the Venice Canals.

The acts of violence have prompted several SoCal women to take up self-defense lessons and remain vigilant when they’re in public.

One woman, identified only as Melissa, was attacked by a stranger who lives in her own neighborhood in October of last year. She says the incident motivated her to learn how to protect herself.

“She kicked my dog in the face, and then she started hitting me with open fists,” Melissa said to KTLA 5’s Jennifer McGraw. “Completely caught me off guard. I have to be concerned about my own safety.”

Dave Kerr teaches self-defense classes at his gym, FitSport Kinetics in Pasadena. He preaches to his students to always remain vigilant when walking alone, and learn the basics of how to react if they’re ever the victim of a random attack.

“You don’t want to be buried in your phone if you have earbuds and you can’t hear anything,” Kerr said. “So, one of the things we teach is simple practice of being aware of your surroundings.”

Jen Lester, who also goes by Stun Gun Jen, learned self-defense after hearing from a close friend that she had been raped twice in the previous four years. Lester worked for 12 years as a 911 dispatcher and wanted to use her experience to help teach women how to protect themselves.

“It’s incredibly alarming, it’s something we are seeing in our headlines constantly,” Lester said. “We’re seeing it just in social media posts all the time, there definitely seems to be an escalation.”

Lester adds you should have four essential items with you at all times to help you keep yourself as safe as possible in case you’re assaulted.

“I have my alarm with the GPS tracking, I have a stun device, I have a striking device for close contact strikes, and I have my pepper spray,” Lester said.

The self-defense expert says a lack of consequences for assailants is another reason why the public needs to learn how to protect itself.

“If we are the consequence, because we can’t get the consequences through our justice system, I believe that we see a little bit of decline,” Lester said. “But we have to start to learn to be the consequence ourself.”

Nearly a week after violence erupted on the campus of UCLA, Chancellor Gene Block announced Monday that the school is working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Los Angeles Police Department to hold those responsible for the melee accountable.  

Hostilities outside the pro-Palestinian solidarity encampment had been simmering since demonstrators took over Royce Quad on April 25, setting up dozens of tents and surrounding themselves with metal fences and wood pallets.  

On April 30, just hours after Chancellor Block labeled the encampment as “unauthorized,” pro-Israeli counter-protestors, many dressed in all black with white masks over their faces and flags draped across their shoulders, lobbed fireworks at the encampment and attempted to dismantle the barricades.  

For at least two hours, campus police stood by as both factions traded punches, hurled items at each other, and dispersed pepper spray and fire extinguishers in a chaotic scene that wasn’t contained until around 2 a.m. when LAPD officers arrived. 

The president of the University of California system, Michael Drake, said 15 people were injured, one of whom required hospitalization. 

Despite the widespread violence, no arrests were reported, though Chancellor Block vowed a “thorough investigation.”  

Just two days later, on May 2, police moved in, dismantled the encampment and arrested several hundred pro-Palestinian demonstrators.  

Today, Block followed up on his promise, saying the university is committed to identifying last week’s perpetrators of violence and holding them accountable.  

“The LAPD has committed a detective to assist in our investigative efforts, and we have also connected with the FBI about possible assistance,” the chancellor said Monday in a message to the Bruin community. “We have spoken to Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón to solicit his help in ensuring that the instigators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” 

Block added that investigators are reviewing all available footage from the April 30 incident, interviewing witnesses and urged anyone who has information about the attack to report it as soon as possible.  

Despite the announcement, demonstrations on the campus of UCLA continued Monday. 

The university’s newly formed Office of Campus Safety, headed by former Sacramento Police Chief Rick Braziel, arrested 43 people in a campus parking structure this morning.  

Police say the group refused to provide identification and prove whether they were students legally allowed on campus during curfew hours.  

According to UCLA regulations, non-affiliates of the university are not allowed on campus between midnight and 6 a.m. without permission. Everyone, including students, staff and faculty, is required to show ID if campus police determine there’s a disturbance to campus peace, KTLA’s Samanth Cortese reported.  

Later, dozens of protesters, perhaps more than 100, marched through campus and gathered for a rally in front of the student union building. The university then announced that all classes would be moved to remote due to “ongoing disruptions.” 

School officials also said Royce Hall and Powell library would remain closed until Friday.  

UCLA did not respond to multiple questions from KTLA about today’s arrests.