“I thought she was at the point of complete exhaustion. When she looked at me, I thought I was going to have to run to hug her and help her out at the end of the first half.” …..They are being really violent with her….

On Friday night, Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever made their 2024 WNBA debut against the Dallas Wings.

The Wings hit a go-ahead three-pointer with three seconds left to win the game 79-76.

The former Iowa Hawkeye had an outstanding debut, playing 28 minutes and recording 21 points on 6 of 15 shooting to go along with three rebounds and two assists.

Following the game, Fever coach Christie Sides sat down for her post-game press conference and dropped a stunning admission on Clark’s debut.

“It got to a point early where she was gassed and she asked for a sub. That was awesome for her to do,” Sides said.

May 3, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) reacts during the second half against the Dallas Wings at College Park Center.

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Sides continued, “I think she got to a point where she was completely gassed. When she looked over to me, I thought I was gonna have to go and grab her and help her get to the sideline right there at the end of the first.”

Clark was subbed out of the first quarter with 2:27 left, playing just above 7.5 minutes.

“We have to do better. We can’t let her get to that point. She just won’t be able to last and the way people are guarding her, she’s seeing a double team. They’re being real physical with her,” Sides finished.

The full interview was posted online to social media.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1786842245519524219

Clark and the Fever will play their second preseason game on Thursday, May 9th, against the Atlanta Dream.