Caitlin Clark admits she needs to do a better job of controlling ‘emotions’ after loss to Lynx

Indianapolis — There are many things that make Caitlin Clark a unique basketball player, from her incredible passing ability to her seemingly limitless defensive range, but it's the passion she brings to the game that makes her so endearing among fans.

But it can be both a blessing and a curse.

The Fever and Lynx both entered Friday's game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse with 7-1 records since the Olympic break. WNBAThe hottest teams from will face off against each other.

After Indiana held a five-point lead at halftime, the Fever left the locker room overcome with emotion, and the Lynx outscored the home team 29-12, proving why they're one of the best teams in the league, while Indy looked like a true young team.

Foul calls were increasingly questioned in disbelief, and emotions continued to run high as Clark and Aaliyah Boston focused as much on the officials as they did on the game itself, with Aaliyah Boston receiving her third technical foul of the season in the third frame.

All the while, the Lynx maintained their composure and controlled the match when the Fever lost their composure.

“It was like playoff basketball. I kept telling my players that,” Indiana coach Christy Sides said. “They're a good veteran team. They came out and attacked us in the third quarter and we just didn't handle it.”

The Fever have played with passion all year and after struggling early in the season, they've pretty much learned how to harness that passion and turn it into a positive, and there was no better example of that than their win over the Sun.

But Friday was their biggest game of the season, and Minnesota could be a future playoff opponent for Indiana.

With the stakes high, fans showed up hoping for another important win, cheering the team's five first-half 3-pointers, three of which were by Clark, that helped the Fever jump out to a strong lead in the first quarter and half, and the sellout crowd continued to create one of the best atmospheres in the league this season.

But as things started to pick up in the third quarter, they followed their star point guard's lead and toe the line between playing with emotion and playing with emotion.

“I definitely think I have limitations,” Clark said. “I thought I got fouled a couple times in the second half on mid-range jump shots and it was frustrating. That's how it goes. Sometimes you get called, sometimes you don't. That's how it goes… I think I could have controlled my emotions a little better.”

“I think there are limits and sometimes passion and emotion get the better of you, but it's not something I want to change or anyone on the team wants to change.”

Finding that balance has been a challenge for Sides and her coaching staff this season, as they have helped Clark excel while still displaying her trademark fighting spirit.

But that wasn't the case in the third quarter on Friday. She forced a mid-range jump shot while trying to get fouled, committed a turnover and, in the worst possible moment, had a shot blocked and collapsed to the ground in frustration to give the Lynx a run to give them a double-digit lead.

“She's just so passionate,” Sides said. “Her competitive nature reminds me of Diana Taurasi, which is exactly who she is. So when she's upset or angry, we've been trying to figure out how to get through those moments.”

“She's got to learn that in those moments, a point guard has to stay calm and get in the situation they need to be in offensively and if it's not the foul call that she thought it was, she has to go back,” Sides continued. “That's what we're working on. That's what we have to do as a young team, is talk about those moments, watch them on video and show them, 'This isn't how this is supposed to happen.'”

“Everything we do has a reaction, and in those moments we have to make sure we don't put ourselves in a worse situation.”

The good news is that the Fever will have a chance to learn from Friday's loss right away, returning home to face the Dream on Sunday before taking on the defending champion Aces in two games over three days, another match that will likely involve a lot of emotion and passion for the Fever.

Now it's important to use the loss to the Lynx as a learning opportunity to move forward.

“I think we just came together as a team and said, 'Shut up, let's practice, leave the refs alone and move on to the next play. Move on to the next play, move on to the next action, move on to the next set. Let's use this as motivation for the next game,” Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell said.

“As a leader, you have to stay confident and positive. We already know the outcome tonight, so we just have to take it and move on to the next page.”

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