MINNEAPOLIS -- The jersey is different. The teammates are different. The opponents are stronger. But the Taylor Swift "Eras Tour" atmosphere that follows Caitlin Clark hasn't changed since she swapped Iowa Hawkeye black and gold for Indiana Fever red and navy.
Despite the traveling home-court Clark and the Fever brought to the Target Center to on Saturday night, they fell 90-80 to the surging Minnesota Lynx.
The game was played in front of a sell-out crowd of 19,023 fans, the most in Minnesota Lynx history. Clark wasn't the only draw -- the Lynx entered the game on a five-game win streak, including back-to-back victories over the two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces earlier in the week. The game also featured a number retirement ceremony for team legend Maya Moore, a four-time WNBA champion with the Lynx in the 2010s — and, probably not coincidentally, Clark's first favorite WNBA player.
But at the Target Center — a.k.a. "Carver North" — there's still no draw quite like Caitlin Clark. Outside of, well, Taylor Swift.
The streets and skyways around the Target Center were flooded with Iowa and Indiana Fever jerseys, shirseys, and all manner of gear featuring Clark's familiar #22. Those fans helped fill Target Center to the rafters like so many Big Ten Tournament games, and were visible in every section around the arena.
Indeed, many of those same fans had packed Target Center just five months prior for the Big Ten Tournament, when Clark and Iowa had completed their third consecutive run through the tournament field and hoisted a Big Ten Tournament trophy for a third straight season. They returned on Saturday night to cheer her in a different uniform, but with no less enthusiasm.
Clark's Fever teammate (and former Ohio State star) Kelsey Mitchell acknowledged the impact Clark has had on the Fever's fanbase and women's basketball in general.
"I think Caitlin specifically is a household name, and I think she's gonna continue to bring in the arena and put us in a position to have all the fans in the world," Mitchell said. "Hats off to her. I give her grace, it's a lot to take on, and she's done a really great job."
Come Saturday night, Clark and the Fever's job was to reward the popularity that follows them, against a tough, tough opponent in Minnesota — and the Lynx put the pressure on #22 early, often and decisively.
Clark got off to a slow start, missing her first five shots from the field as Minnesota staked an early 21-12 lead. She finally got on the score sheet with a pair of free throws, then a step-back bucket late in the first quarter to raucous applause for this "road" game.
Still, Minnesota ballooned its lead to 29-16 at the end of the quarter, and that left the Fever playing catch-up the rest of the way. After a brief rest in the second quarter, though, Clark went on her best stretch of the game.
She made her first three-pointer of the game, then followed that up with a pair of driving layups — the latter turning into three the hard way.
Clark's personal 8-0 run helped the Fever cut the Lynx lead to 41-39. She even added one of her trademark deep threes (29 feet) right before halftime, bringing the Clarkies crowd to the frenzy they came to take part in and sending the Fever into halftime down just 45-44.
That second quarter flurry was as good as it got for Clark in the game, though.
As Indiana tried in vain to retake* the lead in the second half, Clark recorded as many turnovers (3) as made field goals. In fact, she attempted just five shots in the second half, including only two in the fourth quarter.
*Technically a retaking, as the Fever led 2-0 to start the game.
Clark credited the Lynx's defense for slowing the Fever down in the second half. "We could have executed a little better on offense, but they're a really good defensive team," she said. "We got a little stagnant, didn't get out in transition as much as we would have liked."
But the final result is only part of the story — for Saturday's game, and for practically every Caitlin Clark game.
There were preseason suggestions by some pundits that her popularity was a fad, or that it would wane in the WNBA. That is emphatically not the case -- Clark turned Iowa into the hottest ticket in women's basketball last winter, and she's done the same for the Fever in her rookie season.
Caitlin Clark games remain a capital-E Event for the hundreds of thousands of fans who have bought tickets to see her play, at home and on the road, as well as the millions who tune in on television.
Thankfully, as much as Clark is a huge draw, she's still not the whole craze in and of itself; just like Clark's Hawkeye teammates shared in #22's spotlight and are making names for themselves to this day, the Target Center crowd's responses to the other players on the court on Saturday suggest a growing appreciation for women's basketball as a whole.
Understandably, Clark drew the loudest reactions on the night, but Clark and Fever fans enthusiastically cheered Mitchell's drives to the bucket and Aliyah Boston's interior play as well. Mitchell nearly matched Clark's performance with 21 points, and Boston finished with 10 points and 15 rebounds as both strengthened their cases as long-term pieces next to Clark.
Similarly, Lynx fans may have been excited to see a singular force like Clark as well -- but they were even more excited to see their team beat the phenomenon.
The home faithful at the Target Center erupted for Bridget Carleton and Kayla McBride as they buried Indiana with 8-for-16 shooting from deep — to say nothing of the oft-unguardable forward Napheesa Collier, who scored a game-high 31 points for the Lynx and was serenaded with "M-V-P" chants at the end of the game.
Clark took a big picture view of the atmosphere that surrounded the game, as well as her impact on the growth of women's basketball in her post-game comments. "Obviously a lot of people here [wore] Fever stuff or a CC shirt or whatever," Clark said. "But at the same time they understand really good basketball, they can appreciate what the Lynx did, and who the Lynx are."
"You definitely had those loyal Lynx fans, you heard them sometimes too," Clark added with a laugh. "You certainly heard a crowd that just loves basketball and was there to celebrate it. And honestly it was a great game, the offense was great, it was up and down, both teams were tired, it was just a great display of women's basketball."
While many fans came to see The Caitlin Clark Show, no one left Target Center unhappy on Saturday night (save for the Fever, who wanted to get a victory in their quest for a playoff berth). The game was exactly as Clark described it -- "a great display of women's basketball" -- and one that showcased that the game has much to offer beyond just Clark's own brilliance. The spotlight Clark brings also casts its shine across the WNBA, illuminating the many great players and stories the sport has to offer.
