Caitlin Clark returned to a WNBA court for the first time since last July for the Indiana Fever’s preseason opener versus the New York Liberty on Saturday. She scored seven points in Indiana’s 109-91 victory.

Clark quickly established herself, scoring the game’s first basket on a floater in the lane. Two possessions later, she drilled a long 3-pointer from 29 feet.

The Fever led 32-24 after the opening 10 minutes, but quickly lost that advantage when the Liberty scored 10 unanswered points to begin the second quarter — all of them from Breanna Stewart.

New York went on top 39-34 after a layup by Han Xu, returning to the WNBA after playing last season in Australia. However, Indiana rallied to finish the first half with a 53-48 lead, powered by Kelsey Mitchell scoring 10 straight points.

Indiana maintained a 74-68 lead going into the fourth quarter, then went on a 21-4 surge to put the game out of reach. Free-agent addition Shatori Walker-Kimbrough scored nine points for the Fever during the run.

After winning WNBA Rookie of the Year honors in 2024, Clark was limited to 13 games last season due to quad, groin and ankle injuries. As the Fever opened training camp last week, head coach Stephanie White said that the star guard would likely see fewer practice reps and that approach presumably translated to preseason games as well.

Clark played 17 minutes on Saturday, all in the first half.

Mitchell and Walker-Kimbrough led the Fever with 18 points. Sophie Cunningham was the third Indiana player in double figures, tallying 13 points and shooting 3-for-6 on 3-pointers.

Xu scored 20 points to top the Liberty, while Stewart added 16 with five rebounds in 12 minutes. Rookie Anneli Maley notched 13 points with six rebounds and three assists, and Rebekah Gardner scored 11.

The Fever played their preseason opener without Aliyah Boston, still recovering from the lower leg injury she sustained in March during the Unrivaled playoffs. Lexie Hull also sat out the game with a hamstring injury, while new addition Ty Harris was sidelined due to a knee issue.

For the Liberty, Satou Sabally was out for “reconditioning,” according to the injury report. New Liberty head coach Chris DeMarco told reporters on Friday that “she’s not at 100 percent” while continuing to recover from symptoms for a concussion sustained during last year’s WNBA Finals and caused Sabally to miss the 2026 Unrivaled season.

Michigan will likely lose two pieces from its men’s basketball national championship team while also adding a key transfer that could help the Wolverines defend their title.

Center Moustapha Thiam, whom Rivals ranked as one of the top five players still available in the transfer portal, committed to Michigan on Friday. The 7-foot-2 center averaged 12.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 31 games last season for Cincinnati. As a freshman with UCF, Thiam led the Big 12 with an average of 2.6 blocks per game.

Thiam’s commitment comes at an ideal time for head coach Dusty May, announced on the same day that center Aday Mara declared for the 2026 NBA Draft.

Mara, 7-foot-2, plans to maintain his college eligibility, according to the Detroit Free Press. However, he’s expected to be a lottery selection in the upcoming draft. Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor projects him as the final lottery pick in his latest mock draft, going No. 14 overall.

During his lone season at Michigan, Mara averaged 12.1 points, 6.8 points and 2.6 blocks in 40 games, which earned him Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors. In the Wolverines’ 91-73 win over Arizona in the Final Four, Mara scored a career-high 26 points with nine rebounds and two blocks.

Michigan forward Morez Johnson Jr. also declared for the NBA Draft on Friday. Like Mara, he intends to maintain his college eligibility. But the 6-foot-9 forward may return to Ann Arbor if he’s not among the top 20 selections in the first round. Yahoo’s mock draft currently projects him as the No. 24 pick.

Starting all 40 games for the Wolverines, Johnson averaged 13.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks. In the national championship win over UConn, he scored 12 points with 10 rebounds and two blocks.

With Yaxel Lendeborg expected to be a lottery selection (O’Connor projects him at No. 11), Michigan’s national championship team could have three first-round draft picks.

Despite potentially losing Mara and Johnson to the NBA Draft, May has filled their spots on the roster through the transfer portal. In addition to Thiam, Michigan also received commitments from Tennessee forward J.P. Estrella and forward Jalen Reed from LSU.

The Wolverines are also pursuing guard Juke Harris, who played the past two seasons at Wake Forest.