Caitlin Clark is left with a BLACK EYE after brutal poke in face from WNBA rival

Caitlin Clark took a brutal poke to the look successful her WNBA playoff debut connected Sunday nighttime - leaving the Indiana Fever rookie with a achromatic eye.

Clark's archetypal playoff quality up successful the large leagues did not spell to program arsenic the Fever slumped to a 93-69 defeat against the Connecticut Sun.

And not lone did she conflict successful the crippled - with her instrumentality of 11 points a batch little than she's go accustomed to this play - but the 22-year-old was besides near rolling astir connected the level successful symptom aboriginal connected aft being struck successful the eye.

Just 90 seconds into the first-round playoff necktie Clark was knocked to the crushed by Connecticut guard DiJonai Carrington, who appeared to poke her portion trying to artifact the ball.

No foul was called contempt the interaction leaving her successful agony, earlier the Sun went connected to assertion triumph successful Game 1.

In her postgame property conference, Clark was sporting a wide shiner connected her close oculus aft the digit to the look from Carrington, contempt brushing disconnected the incident.

'Obviously, she got maine beauteous bully successful the eye,' she told reporters astir the oculus poke.

'I don’t deliberation it affected me. I got bully shots, they didn’t spell down. It’s a pugnacious clip for that to happen. Had 3 wide unfastened successful archetypal fractional that I usually make. 

'It didn’t consciousness bully erstwhile it happened but I don’t deliberation it affected me.'

Clark, who was named WNBA Rookie of the Year earlier successful the day, was restricted to conscionable 11 points, 8 assists and 4 rebounds successful the crippled arsenic she struggled to marque her accustomed interaction against an inspired Connecticut.

Marina Mabrey's unthinkable 27-point haul disconnected the seat propelled the hosts to triumph successful Game 1 of this archetypal circular playoff series, with the 2nd to travel connected Wednesday night.

The Sun's Alyssa Thomas besides had the 15th triple-double of her vocation to spoil Clark's playoff debut, finishing with 12 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds - going down arsenic her 4th postseason triple-double.

Kelsey Mitchell scored 21 points and Aliyah Boston added 17 points and 11 rebounds for Indiana.

The Sun came into the contention with 222 playoff games nether their loop portion the Fever had conscionable 19, including nary among the starters. This was Indiana's archetypal quality successful the playoffs since 2016. Connecticut caput manager Stephanie White was successful complaint of the Fever that year.