By Amy Tennery
UNCASVILLE, Conn. (Reuters) – The Connecticut Sun dimmed the spotlight on Caitlin Clark in her Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) debut on Tuesday, as All-Star DeWanna Bonner put up 20 points at home to beat the Indiana Fever 92-71.
Clark’s sharpshooting abilities made her appointment viewing in the final year of her collegiate career, and a sold-out crowd piled into Mohegan Sun Arena to watch her first regular-season game in the professional ranks.
But the Sun refused to let the six-foot guard steal the show, as DiJonai Carrington clobbered Clark on defense, Alyssa Thomas recorded her ninth career triple double and Bonner became the league’s fifth all-time scorer.
Last year’s unanimous Rookie of the Year, Aliyah Boston, kicked off the action with a two-pointer off an assist from Clark, but the Sun wrested the momentum quickly as guard Tyasha Harris put up a trio of threes in the first quarter.
Clark, who had 20 points across the game, was a long way from Indiana but felt right at home as fans cheered wildly when she got on the board with a layup off a steal nearly halfway through the second quarter.
She drained her first three-pointer of the night with seconds left in the half, but the Fever trailed the Sun by 10 points going into the locker room and could never catch up.
Bonner surpassed Candice Dupree to move into the fifth spot in the WNBA all-time scoring list with a layup in the third quarter.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in Uncasville, Connecticut, additional reporting by Hussein Waaile; Editing by Sonali Paul)
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