WNBA: Trying to remain “positive,” Caitlin Clark’s fever drops to 0–5.

Seattle No. 1 overall choice Caitlin Clark stated she’s “trying to be as positive as possible” about the improvement Indiana has made despite it not yet transferring into the win column after the Indiana Fever fell 85-83 to the Seattle Storm on Wednesday, dropping to 0-5 on the season.

“Losing never makes you happy,” Clark remarked. Although it’s not enjoyable, there are a lot of things to improve with. All I’m trying to do is keep learning, keep stacking days, and remain as optimistic as I can. I’m confident the first victory is just around the corner.”

This was the second straight game the Fever had a chance to win in the closing minutes after dropping their first three by double digits. After averaging 6.5 points per game in the first four games of the season, Clark had just her second turnover of the game in a frantic last minute. She also had a 3-pointer blocked, even though she believed she had been fouled.

Even then, with 11 seconds left and a chance to win, the Fever took possession down one when Indiana successfully challenged a pass that went out of bounds and was first called a jump ball. Clark was a bit behind Kristy Wallace when she attempted to inbound pass the ball; instead, she could only shovel it to teammate Aliyah Boston, who became entangled and tipped the subsequent jump ball out of bounds.

At the buzzer, Boston attempted a half-court heave, but it failed, handing the Storm the victory.

“Probably the longest minute of a basketball game I’ve been a part of in a long time,” Clark remarked, referring to a passage that took more than 20 minutes of actual play time and included two reviews. “We definitely gave ourselves a chance, but at the same time there were some little things that we shot ourselves in the foot.”

With 21 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists, Clark had her best all-around game thus far in the WNBA. She started slowly, with five points on 2-of-9 shooting in the first half, before catching fire after halftime. In a stretch of 1:17 late in the third quarter, going up primarily against fellow rookie Nika Muhl in a rematch of their clash in the NCAA Final Four last month, Clark had six points and an assist as Indiana took the lead.

Clark smiled postgame when asked whether that run, highlighted by a behind-the-back dribble into a pull-up 3-pointer in transition, was a case where “the Iowa Caitlin came out.”

“It’s a process of getting there to be able to do that the whole game and trying to navigate that with my teammates,” she explained. The practice of figuring out when to be forceful never ends. Starting cold might be difficult at times.

“Undoubtedly, I believe that’s when I perform best—when I’m a little more aggressive and make my shot. There, I was able to make a few 3s that kind of got me going. Several times, I was able to locate Temi [Fagbenle] scurrying across the floor. I believe that my success increases with my ability to perform at a faster tempo.”

According to the Storm, those shots delighted a sellout crowd of 18,343, the greatest in Seattle franchise history and the biggest in a regular-season WNBA game since 2018. However, so did a season-high 32 points from Jewell Loyd, the league’s leading scorer, who, according to ESPN Stats & Information, joined Breanna Stewart as the only other player in Storm history to record at least 30 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists in a single game.

Clark remarked, “It’s pretty incredible.” “It was a terrific atmosphere and crowd. Looking around, there are a plethora of individuals behind and on each side of the basket. The game was fantastic. Of course, I would have been thrilled if we had prevailed.”

After losing by four points at home to Connecticut on Monday, Indiana’s close victory over an experienced Seattle team was encouraging. That’s what Clark wants to learn from his disappointment at not winning.

“There’s no doubt these two hurt the most,” she stated. We’re only six points away from finishing 2-3 as opposed to 0-5. That close. Watching the movie again will show you how many times small things that you can quickly clean up and fix can make a big difference—possibly even without involving a single item.

“I believe you need to have faith in that, particularly now when you’re 0–5. I don’t believe it will be particularly helpful for us if you just become irritated about it.”