For one quarter, the Connecticut Sun — last season’s No. 1 ranked defense — had succeeded in their plan to steal the thunder associated with Caitlin Clark’s highly-anticipated debut. With the opportunity finally arriving for her to put her competitiveness and creativity on display in rebuttal, the 2024 No. 1 pick responded as only she can: by stealing it right back with style. Shadowing DiJonai Carrington’s cut to the rim to perfection, the Indiana Fever star positions herself perfectly to intercept an errant pass before sprinting out in transition, ready to test Connecticut’s transition defense. Already familiar with Connecticut’s plan of keeping her potentially-revolutionary 3-point abilities contained, Clark gets imaginative, feigning a long-range shot just deceptively enough to pique DeWanna Bonner’s interest. Swift and smooth in her hesitation dribble, Clark uses the momentum to ease into the WNBA history books with a right-handed layup. Even with the Sun’s physical, towering defenders in her airspace throughout the evening, the breathtaking guard still found a way to elevate in the box score, tying for a game-high 20 points, three assists, a pair of steals, and four 3-pointers in the loss on May 14, 2024. · May 14, 2024