Dallas Wings forward Satou Sabally gave Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark her flowers after the Wings’ 100-93 loss on Sunday.
Sabally, who dropped 25 points and four rebounds, enjoyed a big game alongside teammate Arike Ogunbowale, but Dallas couldn’t fend off a strong Indiana offensive surge in the fourth quarter, when the Fever scored 30 points to the Wings’ 19.
One of the Fever’s most dynamic stars of the game was Clark, to little surprise. Sabally spoke a bit about Clark’s impact in the WNBA while also making a funny quip about seeing so many No. 22 jerseys in the stands.
“Obviously, it’s annoying because there were way too many Caitlin fans in our arena,” Sabally said in the postgame press conference. “But kudos, because it’s amazing to see so many people in women’s basketball jerseys, it’s amazing to see the excitement and the joy that comes out of that. Although I feel like our Dallas fans could have done better—I had mixed feelings seeing all the Caitlin jerseys in our home—but it’s an amazing sign for women’s basketball and it’s just great how far we’ve come.”
Satou Sabally: “Obviously, it’s annoying bc there were way too many Caitlin fans in our arena but kudos… I feel like our Dallas fans could have done better, I had mixed feelings seeing all the Caitlin jerseys in our home, but it’s an amazing sign for women’s basketball.”#WNBA pic.twitter.com/eYTgkghfmZ
— Landon Thomas (@sixfivelando) September 1, 2024Clark brought the heat to Dallas, recording 28 points and 12 assists in Sunday’s win. She also brought the fans, as the Wings-Fever game took place in front of yet another sold-out crowd this WNBA season.
Entering Sunday’s game, the Fever’s total home and away attendance this year amounted to 504,000 fans, per Sportico, which was 150,000 more fans than the second-place New York Liberty.
It’s understandable to see Clark’s opponents mildly frustrated when the Fever star essentially turns road games into home games, but with WNBA attendance quickly reaching new heights, Sabally and other Fever foes have Clark to partially thank for the increased interest in the sport.
Source : Sports Illustrated