Indiana Fever coach Christie Sides criticized her crew after they went right down to a heavy loss to the Connecticut Solar on Monday night time, with Caitlin Clark managing simply 10 factors.
“I’m going to begin with how one can’t, at this degree, coach effort,” Sides stated after the sport. “I felt like we had been simply attempting to ask them to maintain taking part in exhausting, play exhausting. You may’t begin there. You may’t play on this league if it’s important to coach effort. It’s simply too exhausting.”
The sport led to a 89-72 victory for the Solar, though they’d led by as many as 28 factors at one stage and the Fever checked out their greatest when Sides took off most of her starters, together with Clark, halfway by the third quarter.
“We had been down 28 and I wished to place a bunch in there that will get out and play some protection,” Sides stated of her choice to take away her starters. “I’m actually, actually happy with that group that went on the market and minimize the lead. They performed exhausting.”
In mitigation, the Solar personal one of the best file within the WNBA (10-1) and the Fever (3-10) have had a brutal schedule to begin the season. The Fever’s subsequent two video games are in opposition to groups with modest information, the Chicago Sky (4-6) and the Atlanta Dream (5-4). Clark described these two dwelling video games as “very winnable … for our group”.
The Fever misplaced to the Solar by simply 4 factors of their earlier assembly, however had been poor at each ends of the ground on Monday.
“This can be a crew you possibly can’t come out and be lackadaisical in opposition to; they’re simply that good,” stated Clark, whose 10 factors all got here within the first half. “They’re going to punch you within the mouth. And I don’t assume we had it from the soar, and clearly, that’s a bit of disappointing.”
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Aliyah Boston was the only real shiny spot for the Fever. The previous No 1 total decide had 14 factors and 12 rebounds.
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