UNCASVILLE, CONNECTICUT – From the jump, it was clear Caitlin Clark was in for a long night.
Connecticut guard DiJonai Carrington, typically assigned to guard the opposing team’s best guard, face-guarded Clark all the way up the floor. Her efforts helped the Connecticut Sun to a 92-71 opening night victory over the Indiana Fever.
Carrington, a fourth-year WNBA veteran, said the day before that she was going to be physical with Clark and make sure she forces her into uncomfortable shots. “She’s going to score,” Carrington said. “She’s a really good player, she’s going to get into her spots a couple of times, but we have to limit her. The first shot that she gets can’t be a wide-open 3.”
The defensive plan worked. Carrington and the Sun, owners of the league’s second-ranked defense last year, limited Clark to 20 points on 5-for-15 shooting to go along with a franchise-record 10 turnovers. “That’s what Nai does,” head coach Stephanie White said of Carrington’s lockdown efforts. “She’s an elite defender. The challenge is now doing this for longer periods of time.”
Carrington, who averaged 17.2 minutes per game in three years with the Sun, played 31 minutes on opening night—and likely would have played even more if it weren’t for her…
