close
close

first Drop

Com TW NOw News 2024

Fever-Sun Game 2, final game of Caitlin Clark’s rookie season, draws record WNBA playoff audience for ESPN
news

Fever-Sun Game 2, final game of Caitlin Clark’s rookie season, draws record WNBA playoff audience for ESPN

Caitlin Clark helped the WNBA to several record-high ratings during her first season. So it should come as no surprise that the final game of her rookie campaign drew a large crowd.

Game 2 of the first-round WNBA playoff matchup between the Indiana Fever and Connecticut Sun averaged 2.54 million viewers for ESPN on Wednesday, according to Sports Media Watch. The audience peaked at 3.4 million viewers.

That’s the most viewers a WNBA game has ever received on cable and the most for a postseason game since the 1999 Western Conference Final Game 2 featuring the Los Angeles Sparks versus the Houston Comets, which averaged 2.62 million attracted viewers.

The broadcast also ranks among the top 10 highest audiences in league history. (It comes in at number 9, to be precise.)

The Sun defeated the Fever 87–81 to conclude the best-of-2 series and conclude Clark’s rookie season. Connecticut advanced to the WNBA semifinals and will take on the Minnesota Lynx starting Sunday.

Clark finished with 25 points, nine assists and six rebounds in the final game of her season. She joined Maya Moore as the second rookie in league history to score 25 points, five assists and five rebounds in a playoff game. Aliyah Boston grabbed 19 rebounds with 16 points for the Fever, while Kelsey Mitchell finished with 17 points.

The Sun was led by Alyssa Thomas’ 19 points and 13 assists, followed by Marina Mabrey’s 17 points, while DeWanna Bonner added 15 points and eight rebounds.

The Game 2 number follows Game 1’s crowd of 1.84 million (on an NFL Sunday), the highest crowd for a WNBA playoff game since 2003. Connecticut defeated Indiana 93-69.

Proving the WNBA’s growing popularity, the Lynx’ win over the Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday night drew 1.22 million viewers. That was ESPN’s third-highest audience for a WNBA postseason game, according to the network.