Featured Columnist IVSeptember 26, 2024
Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE by way of Getty Pictures
It is just becoming Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever staff set one other scores document within the ultimate recreation of her rookie season.
ESPN announced Thursday that Wednesday’s first-round playoff recreation between the Fever and Connecticut Solar posted a Nielsen variety of 2.5 million viewers and peaked at 3.4 million viewers. That made it the highest-rated WNBA recreation on cable within the league’s historical past.
What’s extra, it was up 507 p.c from final yr’s first-round protection on ESPN.
ESPN PR @ESPNPR
Wednesday’s #WNBAPlayoffs matchup between the @IndianaFever & @ConnecticutSun delivered cable’s most-viewed #WNBA recreation EVER 👏
This comes as no shock, as Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes set ratings records when she was in school earlier than the 2024 WNBA draft that noticed her chosen No. 1 general additionally set records.
Her Fever had been the most-watched WNBA staff this season.
Regardless of all of the curiosity, Indiana misplaced within the first spherical in two video games. Clark did what she may in Sport 2 towards the Solar and completed with 25 factors, 9 assists, six rebounds, one steal and one block whereas taking pictures 10-of-23 from the sector.
Nonetheless, Marina Mabrey’s three-pointer within the ultimate minute prolonged Connecticut’s result in 4, and the house staff by no means appeared again. She completed with 17 factors and 6 assists, whereas Alyssa Thomas posted a double-double of 19 factors, 13 assists and 5 rebounds.
Whereas the season did not finish like they needed, the longer term stays vivid for the Fever thanks largely to the presence of Clark.
And there’ll certainly be loads of folks tuning in for her second season.
