SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — It was an exciting night for the Golden State Valkyries as they defeated the Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark, the player considered to be the face of the WNBA.
Fans at Chase Center were fired up for her first visit to the Bay Area.
“The energy’s really good. The fans are here for it,” Richmond resident Demaur Owens said. “The fact that she’s as amazing as she is, is also a big draw. So tonight is really special for everybody.”
ABC7 News spotted several fans donning Clark’s jersey, and some signs with her number “22.”
MORE: Sports bar featuring women’s sports coming to San Francisco
Rikki’s Bar, a pub featuring women’s sports games, is coming to San Francisco.
Across town in the Castro, there was a lot of hype for her at Rikki’s, the Bay Area’s first women’s sports-focused bar.
“Caitlin Clark has a lot of fame, so I’m excited to see this kind of matchup with the Valkyries facing this iconic player who’s come into the scene,” one bargoer said.
There was a line down the block to get into Rikki’s.
The Valkyries rallied past the Fever 88-77, storming back from a 13-point deficit as Kayla Thornton hit two key 3-pointers over the final 4:57 and scored 16 points to go with six rebounds.
Clark had 11 points, nine assists and seven rebounds on a night she struggled to find her shooting touch and finished 3 for 14 and 0 of 7 on 3s. Clark’s layup with 4:12 remaining pulled Indiana within two points, but Golden State had an answer to each threat.
The Valkyries are now 6-6 after a raucous crowd roared during their sixth straight sold-out home game to start the season.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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