Caitlin Clark entered Friday night’s game against the Washington Mystics hoping to snap her three-point shooting slump. Unfortunately, that slump got deeper before it got better, leading to some strong criticism in the middle of the contest.
Heading into the game, Clark was a brutal 3-for-16 from behind the three-point line, which worked out to just 18.75% from three-point territory. And her struggles weren’t just limited to a few games this year, either. In her last nine games, Clark is just 10-of-65 from behind the three-point line, for 15.38% three-point percentage stretching back to last season.
Those shooting struggles continued through the first three quarters of the game as Clark made just two three-pointers in 10 attempts while shooting just 4-for-20 from the field overall. With Clark continuing to struggle, fans quickly turned on her as she faced heavy criticism on social media.
Fans Turned on Caitlin Clark
In the midst of Clark’s poor shooting, fans took to social media to express their frustration and criticize the Indiana Fever star as she continued to miss shot after shot.
“I think the monstars stole Caitlin Clark 3 pt shooting,” one fan wrote in a post on X, making a Space Jam reference.
“Caitlin Clark is no longer a shooter …. Idk what happened but it’s been like a 60 game sample size . I’ve seen enough,” another added.
“Caitlin Clark is 2-13. Yuck,” someone else wrote in a post.
“Caitlin Clark couldn’t hit a three to save her life,” another fan added.
“Get back in that lab Caitlin Clark, that 3Ball is dead dead,” someone else said.
“Caitlin Clark building a house with all these bricks lol,” another user wrote.
“Caitlin Clark has more turnovers than field goals…” someone else pointed out during the game.
“Big Caitlin Clark fan but gotta be honest- extreme poor shooting from last year is continuing so far this year. she has never been a great pure shooter – essentially a streak shooter – the streaks have disappeared,” another fan added.
Of course, this criticism turned out to be a little too early as Clark turned things around in a big way in the fourth quarter.
Clark Dominates in the 4th
While Clark had struggled from beyond the arc for nearly 10 full games, the shots finally began to fall in the fourth quarter when the Fever needed her most. In fact, the fourth quarter on Friday night was one of the most dominant individual quarters of Clark’s career.
In just nine minutes on the court in the fourth quarter, Clark put up 17 points, making 5 of 7 shots from three-point range and 6 of 8 shots overall, along with two assists, a rebound, and a steal. Clark’s performance helped bring the Fever all the way back in the game after facing a 14-point second-half deficit, tying the game and sending it to overtime.
While the Fever ultimately fell just short, falling 104-102, Clark absolutely silenced those critics who turned their back on her earlier in the game.
We’ll have to see whether or not she can keep this momentum going when the Fever take on the Seattle Storm on Sunday.
About Dave Kelsey
Bets on sports stuff.