Caitlin Clark brushes off eye injury as catalyst for poor playoff game: ‘We played a crappy game’

Caitlin Clark’s first postseason game of her WNBA career was far from what she probably expected.

The Indiana Fever rookie was smacked in the eye by Connecticut Sun guard DiJonai Carrington in the first quarter, and it was just the start of a tough day.

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Sep 22, 2024; Uncasville, Connecticut, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) reacts to a foul in the first quarter during game one of the first round of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs at Mohegan Sun Arena. (Mark Smith-Imagn Images)

Clark had 11 points and was 2-of-13 from 3-point range in 36 minutes as Indiana lost the game 93-69.

“Obviously, got me pretty good in the eye; I don’t think it affected me, honestly,” Clark told reporters after the game. “I felt like I got good shots, they just didn’t go down. Obviously, a tough time for that to happen, but I got some pretty good looks. I had three pretty wide open 3s in the first half that you usually make, so I felt like [I] battled and tried my best.

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Sep 22, 2024; Uncasville, Connecticut, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) warms up before game one of the first round of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs at Mohegan Sun Arena. (Mark Smith-Imagn Images)

“We were right there. I just felt like we played a crappy game. The flow of the game was really bad.”

She played the rest of the game with a black eye.

Clark was named the AP WNBA Rookie of the Year earlier in the day, but her shooting performance underscored the struggles by the entire team.

Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever looks on during the game against the Connecticut Sun during round one game one of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs on September 22, 2024, at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. (Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)

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The Fever were 6-of-28 from 3-point range and shot 40.3% from the field in general. Kelsey Mitchell led the way with 21 points for the Fever. Aliyah Boston had 17 points and 11 rebounds.

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