The WNBA preseason got a glimpse of why Caitlin Clark was the talk of the college ranks. The Iowa legend came out blazing in her pro debut, raining a barrage of huge three-balls that had the Dallas crowd roaring. But in the end, it was a cold-blooded Arike Ogunbowale dagger from downtown that put out Clark’s fire and sealed the Wings’ dramatic win.
Clark kicked off her first WNBA action by immediately flashing her elite range. Less than 60 seconds in, she pulled up in transition and splashed home her first pro triple from the right wing for an early Fever lead. The sold-out crowd went wild as their new rookie sensation announced her arrival.
The sharpshooting snowballed from there. Clark showed no jitters, burying two more bombs from deep in the opening quarter while also getting to the line. On one highlight, she used a crafty step-back move to shake free of veteran Natasha Howard before calmly draining the three-ball over the outstretched arms of the former Defensive Player of the Year.
Clark’s scorching first half included 16 points on 4-7 shooting from distance. She mixed in some playmaking too, slicing into the lane and zipping a neat bounce pass to set up an easy deuce for reigning ROY Aliyah Boston. The prized rookie looked right at home torching the WNBA ranks.
But Dallas refused to go away quietly on their home floor. As hot as Clark was, the Wings had their own flamethrower in Ogunbowale. The two-time All-Star poured in 19 points to keep her squad within striking distance.
With the game tied at 76 in the final seconds, Ogunbowale crossed over and stepped back to create just a sliver of daylight. That’s all the space she needed, rising up to drill the go-ahead trey with a hand in her face and just 3.2 ticks left. pandemonium erupted in Dallas as the ‘Wing’s Wings’ celebrated wildly on the sidelines.
Clark had one final chance at a miracle, but her triple try at the buzzer was well off target after a heavy contest. It put a slight damper on an otherwise dazzling debut where she finished with 21 points, showcasing her full offensive repertoire of shooting, shot creation and facilitating.
While the final outcome didn’t go her way, Clark staked her claim as the WNBA’s newest must-see attraction. And Ogunbowale reminded everyone of her flair for late-game heroics. Buckle up for an electric season with these two sharpshooters leading the charge.
