BALTIMORE — The Indiana Fever knew it would be an adjustment playing their first game without Caitlin Clark since drafting the star point guard first overall in 2024.
But Game 1 sans Clark, who is out for at least two weeks because of a quad strain, was rockier than they’d hoped.
Indiana fell to 2-3 on the season with an 83-77 loss Wednesday to the Washington Mystics (3-3), who hosted the first WNBA game in Baltimore at CFG Bank Arena. The Mystics have moved four games to larger venues this season while D.C.’s Capital One Arena undergoes renovations, and will host the Fever again in “Charm City” in early September.
“I think this was a kind of gut punch for us,” Fever guard Sophie Cunningham said. “We’re going to come back tomorrow at practice with more focus, more energy. We know where we want to be at the end the season, but we’re not just going to get there.”
“We weren’t sharp enough to be a contender for anything tonight,” fellow guard Kelsey Mitchell added. “I think getting punched…
