Caitlin Clark injury update: Fever star breaks down in tears after appearing to tweak groin

Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark broke down in tears in the final seconds of Tuesday’s game against the Connecticut Sun after appearing to tweak a groin injury. She reached for her leg after an apparent non-contact issue.

Clark was bringing the ball up the court with about 40 seconds left to play when she kicked it inside to Kelsey Mitchell for a layup. As Connecticut called timeout, the former Iowa star was visibly in pain and reaching for her left leg as she headed toward the basket.

Once she got to the bench, Clark put a towel over her head and was visibly emotional off the bench. Replays showed she pulled up after the backdoor pass and reached for the inside of her right leg as the whistle blew.

Clark played 28 minutes in Tuesday’s 85-77 victory over the Sun, totaling 14 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. However, her shooting struggles continued as she went just 4-for-14 from the field, including 1-of-7 from three-point distance. Her lone make from downtown came in the fourth quarter.

Entering Tuesday, Clark made just 29.5% of her shots over her last six games, with the lone bright spot coming in a 19-point showing in a loss to the Las Vegas Aces. Last time out against the Dallas Wings, Clark had 14 points, but shot 4-for-12 from the field.

However, Clark is keeping things in perspective amid the rough stretch. She said it’s all about staying confident and getting just one or two shots to fall. Then, hopefully, she’ll turn things back around.

“I still probably didn’t shoot it as good as I would have liked, but I feel like it’s coming,” Clark said, via the Indianapolis Star’s Chloe Peterson. “Just trying to continue to get my legs under me. And, like I said, pregame, like I feel like I’m a couple shots away from, like, having a really good game.”

Despite the slump, Caitlin Clark is in the midst of a huge second season in the WNBA despite dealing with injuries throughout the year. She entered Tuesday’s game averaging 16.7 points to go with 9.0 assists and 4.8 rebounds. In addition, she’s preparing for her first WNBA three-point contest when the game comes to Indiana this weekend.

The Fever are scheduled to take on the New York Liberty on Wednesday at Barclays Center. That will mark the final game before the All-Star break.