Caitlin Clark scores 26 in first preseason game as….

In her first action as a professional, Caitlin Clark did not disappoint as the former Iowa star scored 21 points for the Indiana Fever in a 79-76 preseason loss to the host Dallas Wings on Friday. Clark, the No. 1 pick in last month’s WNBA draft, scored 11 of her team’s first 19 points and scored 16 in the first half. The NCAA’s all-time leading scorer finished 6-of-15 shooting from the floor, including 5 of 13 from 3-point range, while adding three rebounds, two assists and two steals. “My biggest goal coming into tonight was to continue to be myself, play aggressive,” said Clark, who missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer that would’ve sent the game to overtime. “I thought that’s what I did. I think there’s a lot to be proud of.”

Despite playing on the road, Clark was cheered throughout the game, including an ovation when she was introduced as a starter. She hit her first two shot attempts, both 3-pointers, and hit four of eight 3-point attempts in the first half. The Fever play one more preseason game Thursday against the visiting Atlanta Dream before opening the regular season on the road against the Connecticut Sun on May 14. “There’s a lot of good to take away from it. At the same time, it’s a preseason game, so don’t get too disappointed by it,” Clark said. “Just go back and watch the film, learn from it, and get ready for our next one.”

Caitlin Clark’s fandom reignited their feud with Diana Taurasi following the Indiana Fever’s first preseason game

The Indiana Fever concluded their first preseason game on Friday, and one takeaway from it all is how Caitlin Clark’s fans still have an ongoing feud with Diana Taurasi. Clark finished with 21 points and many of her followers couldn’t help but reference Taurasi due to the recent comments made by the Phoenix Mercury star.

A brief history of Diana Taurasi’s beef with the Caitlin Clark fandom
For more context, it all started when the hype surrounding Clark was at an all-time high during the March Madness tournament. Taurasi made headlines when she stated that Clark looked “superhuman” because the latter faced collegiate-level players.

“Reality is coming,” Taurasi said, during an interview with ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt. “There’s levels to this thing. And that’s just life, we all went through it. You see it on the NBA side, and you’re going to see it on this side where you look superhuman playing against 18-year-olds, but you’re going to come with some grown women who’ve been playing professional basketball for a long time.”

“(I’m) not saying that it’s not gonna translate, cause when you’re great at what you do, you’re just gonna get better. But there is gonna be a transition period, where you’re gonna have to give yourself some grace as a rookie.” (per BroBible’s Jorge Alonso)

This caused backlash from Clark’s multitude of followers, who mostly claimed that Taurasi’s comments stemmed out of jealousy. It didn’t end there, however. Days ago, the Mercury guard took a shot at her critics by labeling new WNBA fans as “sensitive”

“The new fans are really sensitive these days,” Taurasi stated. “You can’t say anything.” (per azcentral sports’ Dana Scott)

Still, Taurasi made it a point to further elaborate on her comments about undergoing a transition period.

“It’s kinda like when you go from kindergarten to first grade, there’s a learning adjustment…when you go from high school to college, there’s a learning adjustment. I don’t think I said anything that wasn’t factually correct.”

While Taurasi’s comments may be unpopular with fans, one can argue that she does make sense. Whether it’s men’s or women’s basketball, transitioning to a higher level of play is no easy task, and even some of basketball’s top stars today endured their respective adjustment periods upon moving to the pros.

As to whether or not Caitlin Clark will be able to dominate, it’s only the preseason, so it’s too early to tell. Nevertheless, her first game alone showed promise. Clark’s 21 points included five makes from downtown, some of which were from way beyond the three-point line.

The Fever will play another preseason game this coming Thursday against the Atlanta Dream.