The Indiana Fever didn’t get off to the strong start of the 2026 WNBA season that most fans and analysts were hoping for.
They failed to close out games and dropped two of their first three games of the season, including their home opener. That’s why, even after getting over the hump and taking down the Seattle Storm 89-78 on Sunday night, Caitlin Clark was far from satisfied with her team’s effort.
When asked about getting the first win at Gainbridge Fieldhouse this season, the Iowa legend pointed to the team’s defensive woes as a major concern.
Caitlin Clark wants Fever to play better defense
“I thought we played with good pace, I thought we took good shots,” Clark said postgame. “I don’t think we fouled as much in the first quarter as we did the next three quarters, so that probably helped us, probably could have played better defense there, too. (We) played better defense in the second half, but thought we were moving the ball well, thought we were getting good shots. We’re getting to the free throw line.”
Clark had another strong outing on Sunday, dropping 21 points on 10 shots to go along with 10 assists, seven rebounds, two blocks and a couple of three-pointers. She also went a perfect 9-of-9 from the free-throw line.
The former No. 1 pick has now strung back-to-back solid performances together after struggling with her shot earlier in the season. Even so, the Fever are just 2-2 for the year and sitting at the 10th spot in the league, far below their preseason expectations.
There’s still plenty of basketball to be played, and it should be just a matter of time before Stephanie White’s team gets it together. Still, they’ll have to tweak things up on defense to achieve that.