Caitlin Clark stats tonight (May 28): Fever rookie erupts during loss against LA Sparks, posts historic stat line. -- Photo taken from Indiana Fever X pageCaitlin Clark stats tonight (May 28): Fever rookie erupts during loss against LA Sparks, posts historic stat line. — Photo taken from Indiana Fever X page

Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark notched a new career-high in scoring on Tuesday at home against the LA Sparks, finishing with 30 points in their battle of East and West teams. It was, however, not enough as they lost to the visiting side, 88-82.

The former University of Iowa standout played 35 minutes and went 7-of-16 from the field and 3-of-10 from three in notching a new scoring high in her young WNBA career. She also had all-around numbers of six assists, five rebounds, three steals and three blocks but had a team-high seven turnovers.

The loss was the second straight for the Fever and dropped them to a 1-7 record.

Aliyah Boston added 17 points and six rebounds for Indiana while Kelsey Mitchell had 15 points.

Meanwhile, for the Sparks, Kia Nurse led the way with 22 points, with Aari McDonald adding 21 points of her own. Dearica Hamby, meanwhile, had 17 points to go along with 10 rebounds and five assists. The Sparks improved to 2-4 for the season with the win.

Indiana will be hosting the Seattle Storm in their next game on Thursday.

Veteran Fever forward Temi Fagbenle steadily understanding Caitlin Clark’s game

Veteran Indiana Fever forward Temi Fagbenle said she is still in the process of assimilating her game with that of their prized rookie guard Caitlin Clark and believes she is making a lot of progress on that front.

The one-time WNBA champion (Minnesota Lynx, 2017) shared this in her session with media ahead of their game on Tuesday against the LA Sparks at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

She said that as the season progresses, she is getting a better understanding of what Caitlin Clark is capable of on the court and is learning to adjust her game to it.

The 31-year-old American-British player said:

“We just figured it out. She is a smart player, I’m a smart player. I’m always sprinting the floor and she’s a great passer. It’s really amazing becvause we haven’t had many practices together. I’m getting a better sense of what she’s about and what she’s going to do and so I just try to get into the right positions,” Fagbenle said.

In eight games so far for the Fever (1-7), Caitlin Clark, the top overall pick in this year’s WNBA Draft, has been going for a team-high 17.3 points and 6.3 assists in 32 minutes of play. She has also been good for 5.4 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.1 blocks while shooting 38.1% from the floor and 31.3% from three.

Fagbenle, meanwhile, has been averaging 9.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and a block in 24 minutes in eight games.

On Tuesday, they lost to the LA Sparks, 88-82, to slump to their second straight defeat.