UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) — Caitlin Clark did everything she could to help the Indiana Fever stave off elimination. It just wasn’t enough.

The sensational rookie scored 25 points and had nine assists in Indiana’s 87-81 loss against Connecticut in Game 2. A much better night than her playoff debut, when she scored just 11 points on 4 of 17 shooting.

Clark had a record-breaking season on and off the court. She broke the single-season assist record and also set the league’s individual game record. The unanimous AP Rookie of the Year also broke the rookie record for points in a season.

“I’m a tough judge. I feel like I had a solid year,” Clark said. “For me, the fun part is I feel like I’m just scratching the surface and I’m the one who’s criticizing everything I do. I know I want to help this franchise. … I know there’s a lot of room for improvement, so that’s what excites me the most. I feel like I’m going to get a lot better.”

Now she has some time to relax, recover and reflect on her year. With the exception of the Olympic break, Clark has little time to rest, as she goes straight from college to the WNBA draft to the pros.

“Basketball has consumed my life for a year. It’s good to look back on everything that’s happened,” Clark said. “I didn’t have time to look back on my college career, it ended so quickly. I gave my all to my team and helped this team get back to the playoffs. I’m excited to take some time for myself and enjoy it and look back.”

Indiana rebounded from a 1-8 start to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

“It’s been special. A lot of things that this group has accomplished that people didn’t think were possible after the season started,” she said. “It’s definitely going to be a little weird the first couple weeks and then I’ll get bored and pick up a basketball again.”

Off the court, Clark and her fellow rookies have been a boon to the WNBA’s ratings and rise. Despite the loss in Game 1fans watched as the game drew an average of 1.8 million viewers, according to ESPN, making it the WNBA’s most-watched playoff game since the 2000 Finals. It was the most-watched playoff game on ESPN ever, despite going against the NFL.

Six different television partners of the league set ratings for their most-watched WNBA game this year, and all of those games featured the Fever.

Thanks to Clark, Indiana led the league in attendance, both home and away. The Fever averaged 17,036 home and more than 15,000 away. Four teams moved home games to larger arenas when Indiana came to town to accommodate more fans.

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball