Caitlin Clark took the court at Chase Center for the first time Thursday night as the Indiana Fever faced the expansion Golden State Valkyries. Bay Area fans packed the arena for a chance to see the league’s most talked-about rookie in action.
Golden State earned an 88–77 win, but the spotlight stayed on Clark, even during her off night shooting. After the game, her comments reflected the significance of the moment and the electric atmosphere inside the building.
Clark Calls Chase Center a ‘Really Fun Place to Play’ after Fever’s Road Loss
Clark finished with 11 points on just 3-of-14 field goal shooting and missed all seven of her attempts from beyond the arc. It was not her best performance, but she still managed to make an impact on the game with nine assists and seven rebounds in 34 minutes of action.
Speaking postgame, the 23-year-old didn’t focus on her stat line. Instead, she acknowledged the energy inside the building and the crowd’s support.
Caitlin Clark was impressed by the Chase Center atmosphere @kron4news pic.twitter.com/jrqevXLI33
– Ben Ross (@BenRossTweets) June 20, 2025
“I thought it was great, the crowd was into it, they were loud,” Clark said. “Yeah you gotta give them a lot of credit, really fun place to play so, also gonna be looking forward to coming back, so yeah.”
She was greeted with loud cheers throughout the night and signed autographs for fans during warmups.
Clark also reunited with Valkyries guard Kate Martin, her former Iowa teammate, before the game. The two had dinner the night before Clark’s Bay Area debut. Earlier Thursday, Clark told reporters she grew up idolizing Stephen Curry and was excited to play on the court he’s called home since 2019.
Valkyries Fans Show Up Big as Crowd Fuels Fourth-Quarter Comeback
Clark may have been the main draw, but it was the Valkyries who walked away with the win. Head coach Natalie Nakase praised the home crowd before tipoff, calling them a “superpower,” and her team fed off that energy in the fourth quarter.
Golden State overcame a 13-point deficit and didn’t take the lead until midway through the final period. Tiffany Hayes led the charge with eight of her 14 points in the fourth, while Chloe Bibby, Laeticia Amihere, and Kate Martin helped power a bench unit that outscored Indiana’s.
After the game, Natalie Nakase talked about what the Valkyries did to slow Caitlin Clark down:
“We were being disruptive, we know she doesn’t like physicality. And we know she wants to get back to that left stepback.” https://t.co/tp2swMeK6I pic.twitter.com/2MpFMLFVIQ
– Kenzo Fukuda (@kenzofuku) June 20, 2025
The Chase Center crowd didn’t let up either. Fans remained vocal from tip-off to the final buzzer, and that energy played a major role in flipping the game for the Valkyries.
