Tyler Marsh and the Sky faced the Indiana Fever on Saturday in what was not only the season opener, but the first of five highly anticipated matchups between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese in 2025.
Inside a sold-out Gainbridge Fieldhouse, 17,274 fans turned out to witness the clash of the 2024 WNBA All-Stars, as the Caitlin Clark era in Indiana continued to elevate the league’s visibility. Unfortunately for Marsh, the night turned into a rude awakening. The Fever dismantled the Sky 93-58, and Clark ran the show from start to finish.
The 23-year-old superstar recorded the third triple-double of her young WNBA career, finishing with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists.
With her facilitating and scoring in full effect, the Sky simply had no answer. And when the game started slipping away in the second half, things got chippy between Clark and Reese. Clark committed a hard foul on Reese that was later upgraded to a flagrant 1, but she brushed it off postgame, telling reporters it was a “basketball play.”
Marsh admits there’s no one-size-fits-all solution for Clark’s brilliance
When asked during his postgame media availability what Chicago could have done differently to contain Clark, Marsh didn’t sugarcoat it.
“Everything,” Marsh said, acknowledging how thoroughly Clark controlled the game. “It’s one of those things where when she can get it going scoring-wise and facilitating, she’s tough to stop.”
Marsh, who was tapped to lead the Sky this offseason after the franchise moved on from Teresa Weatherspoon, didn’t make excuses for the blowout. He instead offered insight into what defending a player of Clark‘s caliber truly requires.
“It’s never a one-person effort when it comes to a player like her,” he explained. “It’s a group effort. It’s a team effort, and you don’t just guard her with one person. You guard her with all five.”
Reese, who was the Sky‘s most impactful player in the loss with 12 points and 17 rebounds, had her moments, especially cleaning the glass. But Chicago’s offensive execution fell flat.
The team shot just 29.1 percent from the field and committed multiple unforced turnovers, many of which led to easy transition opportunities for Indiana. It was a difficult introduction to the WNBA head coaching ranks for Marsh, but also an opportunity to learn and adjust going forward.
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