After a frustrating 100-84 road loss at Portland on Saturday night, Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White explained Caitlin Clark’s first-quarter substitution in what evolved into an essentially game-deciding offensive run by the Fire.
At the time that both Clark and Aliyah Boston were lifted from the game by coach White, Clark had two points on 1-for-2 shooting and three assists in just under three minutes. After the Fire’s timeout with 7:20 remaining in the opening quarter, Portland went on a 13-2 run before Clark checked back into the game at the 3:38 mark with the Fire controlling a 17-10 lead.
“Well, AB is still in a minutes restriction, so that’s why she’s coming out,” White said of the substitutions. “And that’s typically around the same time that we’ve taken Caitlin out before. We didn’t in Golden State because, quite honestly, we didn’t want Raven (Johnson) in that environment without another ball-handler on the floor, but that’s been our typical substitution pattern.”
Unfortunately for the Fever, Boston and Clark couldn’t stop the bleeding when they checked back in, as Portland extended the offensive onslaught into a 27-7 run over the rest of the first quarter.
Understandably, Boston has been on a minutes restriction since the beginning of the season, as she came into training camp with a lower right leg injury sustained during her Unrivaled season in February. Meanwhile, White has previously discussed plans to manage Clark’s workload this season as well, especially since the former Hawkeye is coming off an injury-plagued 2025 season that limited her to just 13 games.
Clark, whose minutes were limited due to foul trouble on Saturday, had a season-low six points on 1-for-7 shooting and 4-for-5 at the free-throw line, six assists, two rebounds, and one steal in 22 minutes of action.
“It’s hard when you foul, and you know, I just need to do a better job being straight up, keep the defender in front of me… just move my feet a little bit better and yeah, definitely some tough ones,” Clark said afterwards. “But, it’s just basketball, just a game, you know? Learn from it, watch the film, and come back next game and be ready to go.”
As Indiana has a five-day hiatus before resuming play on June 4 against the Atlanta Dream at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the team will need to regroup and rediscover its winning ways as the early part of the season continues.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Stephanie White comments on early Caitlin Clark substitution vs. Fire
Reporting by Scout Springgate, Hawkeyes Wire / Hawkeyes Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
