UNCASVILLE, Connecticut – Caitlin Clark viewed her return to Connecticut for her first WNBA playoff opener as an opportunity to show how far the Indiana Fever have come since their first game in the same arena.

They didn’t confiscate it.

“I felt like we just played a crappy game,” Clark said. “The flow of the game was really bad.”

The Fever couldn’t find their rhythm for 40 minutes against the Sun’s league-leading defense on Sunday and could only watch as Connecticut’s midseason signing Marina Mabrey scored 27 points with five three-pointers. Indiana lost again, 93-69, at Mohegan Sun Arena and must win Game 2 here on Wednesday to secure its first playoff appearance since 2016.

Clark’s shooting woes continued on the road in Connecticut. Her two early three-point attempts, which often fuel Clark’s typical days, missed, and she didn’t make one until 6:55 into the third quarter. Two three-pointers in a four-minute span in the fourth quarter ended her scoring streak, and she finished the game with 11 points, 23.5% shooting and 15.4% three-point percentage (2 of 13). She went to the free throw line once.

“Honestly, I felt like I had good shots, they just didn’t go in,” Clark said. “And obviously it’s a tough time when that happens. I had some really good chances. I felt like I had two pretty free threes in the first half, like you normally make.”

A 3-point deficit in the first quarter turned into an 8-point deficit at halftime as the Sun used their defense to go on an 8-0 run that ultimately proved to be the Fever’s undoing. Clark, still zero from the three-point line, hit two consecutive shots from her point at halftime but missed her first attempt from the same zone outside of halftime.

The Sun started to take off and kept up with the Fever offense until the third period, with Mabrey answering Clark’s 3s and defending each other in a little back and forth.

“Marina is obviously fired up and she’s a really good player,” Clark said. “But you know, I had a few slip-ups on defense. As a shooter, when you see two shots go in one after the other, the basket looks huge, and you can’t let that happen.”

Clark noted after Saturday’s practice that the Fever have not played well in their previous two games at Connecticut. They have been beaten by an average of 20.7 points in three games, but have split the two home games by four points each. In three games at Mohegan this season, Clark has shot 30% overall and 27% from the three-point line, below her season averages of 41.7% and 34.4%, respectively. She has actually shot better from the three-point line all season on the road (36.7%) than at home at Gainbridge Fieldhouse (32.3%). At home against Connecticut, Clark has shot 42.9% overall and 31.5% from the three-point line in two games.

“It’s not the building, it’s not the baskets,” Indiana head coach Christie Sides said. “The Connecticut Sun are a really good team. A really good team with a lot of experience and they know what it takes to get to the next level, to the playoff level, and that’s what we’re going to be. That’s what we’re going to be. They’ve made it really tough for us, and we’ve got to close that gap.”

DeWanna Bonner, a two-time champion with the Phoenix Mercury and the Sun’s most experienced star, took over most of the defensive duties for the rookie point guard. DiJonai Carrington, an All-Defensive team candidate, had handled most of the coverage for Clark all season.

“They beat us last time, so we have to do something different,” Bonner said. “That’s it. There was nothing behind it. They have two great defenders, so someone has to step in and take over the defense.”

Bonner was the leading scorer with 22 points. Alyssa Thomas had another postseason triple-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists. She also had nearly the same stat line as her triple-double against the Fever in the season opener. The Sun hit 49.3% of their shots, ranking among the top 10 offensive players of the season. They hit 9 of 18 three-pointers, led by Mabrey’s 5 of 12 on the day.

Kelsey Mitchell led the Fever with 21 points (9 of 20) but also lacked impact from the three-point line (2 of 10). She added five assists in her first playoff game after six seasons as a spectator.

“This is a game of weaknesses and I think we messed up the ball,” Mitchell said. “We just didn’t play well. At least we weren’t good enough to win.”

Aliyah Boston scored 17 points and 11 rebounds, often breaking away from Mitchell early on while Clark drew the defense’s attention. Lexie Hull needed just two three-point attempts, missing both and scoring five points. Damiris Dantas, the most experienced Fever player with playoff experience, scored 12 points off the bench (4 of 7 shooting). The Fever’s 69 points approached a season low, as did their shooting percentage of 40.3, an uncharacteristic number since the break.

“I want to go back and just watch the game and see, but I think these guys are going to throw the ball a lot better on Wednesday and that’s going to make a huge difference,” Sides said.

Although the outcome was similar to their first two games in Connecticut, the Fever are taking positives with their season on the line. Clark had eight assists, four rebounds, three steals, one block and lost the ball just twice, her season low and a key to the Fever’s play. She had 10 turnovers in the season opener and seven the last time they faced each other in a Fever win. The Fever gave up assists on 23 of 27 baskets, and Sides believes when she looks at the tape there will be completely free throws that could have led to more.

“We didn’t play well,” Clark said. “We didn’t play at the level we’re capable of. We didn’t throw the ball like we’re capable of. But other than that, we’re capable of winning this game without throwing.”

The Sun won’t be resting on that laurels either. The WNBA moved to a best-of-three format in 2022, and the Sun have lost Game 2 in each of the past two seasons. A Game 3 would return to Indianapolis on Friday, where games have been closer. There’s no doubt who the presumably sold-out arena will be rooting for, and they’re happy to answer Clark’s deep threes.

“(Clark) is a great player,” Bonner said. “I know she’s going to be on fire next game, so we’ll have to go back and watch some video and see what we can do.”