INDIANAPOLIS — Tyler Marsh’s debut as a head coach went nothing like he expected as the Sky got blown out by the Fever 93-58 on Saturday to open the season. It was the fifth-biggest margin of defeat in franchise history.
Along the way, little of what Marsh hammered in training camp materialized. His team had no answer for Caitlin Clark, who had 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, and the offense was dreadful. After weeks of talking about playing at a faster pace, spreading the floor with shooters and diversifying the roles of post players Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso, the Sky matched their second-lowest point total from last season.
They shot 29.1% from the field, their worst shooting game since 2018, and went 6-for-27 from three-point range. They scored only 26 points in the paint on 13-for-26 shooting, made only 6 of 12 free throws and committed 17 turnovers.
“It’s a lesson, for sure,” veteran point guard Courtney Vandersloot told the Sun-Times. “We have a lot to work on. It’s not that we didn’t know that, but now it’s glaringly obvious.
“We were not good. We have a brand new team, a brand new coach, and we’re going to put it together. We’re not going to panic. They put a whuppin’ on us.”
It spoiled what had been a special day for Marsh, who coached here as an assistant for the Pacers from 2020 through 2022 and said before the game that he had “a lifetime of memories” at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Marsh and the Sky have a chance to regroup before their next game, which isn’t until Thursday but likely will be far tougher with the defending champion Liberty coming to town.
“The vision is still there,” Marsh said. “The will is still there. We’ve got each other’s back. We’ve got Angel’s back.
“Indiana had a great day today and made some shots that we didn’t. We’ll be OK. This game will not define our season. I can promise you that.”
Van Lith arrives
Speaking of debuts, Sky first-round selection Hailey Van Lith, the 11th overall pick, got on the court with 4:24 left and went 2-for-2 from the field for four points. She played through an ankle injury she suffered in practice during the week.
The game already was out of hand at that point, but it was a milestone, nonetheless.
“This moment was a lot bigger than just this game,” she said. “It meant a lot for my whole career and what my journey has been and what the journey is going to be like with these girls.
“In warmups, I was just smiling and looking around like, ‘This is dope.’ For this to be my first pro game — this atmosphere and this crowd and this rivalry — is incredible.”
Reese branches out
There was a hint of Marsh’s new plan for Reese as she played more on the perimeter.
Reese had the ball at the top of the key early in the second quarter, and when Fever guard Lexie Hull sagged off her into the paint, she took one dribble and buried a three-pointer.
It might not sound like much that Reese went 1-for-2 from three-point range, but she shot only 16 last season and 32 in four college seasons.
Notes
While Vandersloot and Kia Nurse combined to go 0-for-9 on threes, fellow starter Ariel Atkins went 2-for-2 in her first game with the Sky.
† Sky backup guard Moriah Jefferson missed the game with a leg injury.
† Fever forward DeWanna Bonner scored seven points to overtake Hall of Famer Tina Thompson for third on the all-time scoring list at 7,489 behind Sun center Tina Charles (7,696) and recently retired guard Diana Taurasi (10,646).