ARLINGTON, Texas — In front of a sold-out crowd of 7,000 at UT Arlington’s College Park Center, 2024 No. 1 WNBA pick Caitlin Clark made her unofficial professional debut Friday evening, scoring 21 points in the Fever’s narrow 79-76 defeat at the hands of the Dallas Wings .
Newcomers may have come out to catch a glimpse of Clark, but Dallas guard Arike Ogunbowale ensured the hometown team came up on top, ending the contest on a personal 7-0 run and sinking a game-winning, step-back 3-pointer with 3.0 seconds to play.
It is a huge day for sports in the Metroplex. In downtown Dallas the NBA’s Mavericks host a potentially series-clinching first-round matchup against the LA Clippers . The NHL’s Stars could do the same with a win in Las Vegas. Many fans filtered to Arlington with signs for Clark or wearing No. 22.
Despite being from the visiting team, the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer received a thunderous cheer as she was introduced as part of the Fever’s starting five, as did fellow former No. 1 pick Aliyah Boston .