When people think of Iowa basketball, one name immediately comes to mind: Caitlin Clark. But on Saturday night, with Clark and the Fever looking to get back on track against the Portland Fire, it was a different Hawkeye icon who walked away with the headlines.

That Hawkeye legend was Megan Gustafson, who wasted no time reminding everyone why she remains one of just three players in Iowa history to have her jersey retired. The 2025 WNBA champion replaced Luisa Geiselsoder in the starting lineup, and it was a masterstroke from coach Alex Sarama.

Gustafson absolutely terrorized Indiana’s defense, drove to the rim, and dominated the paint while defending Aliyah Boston. Gustafson finished with 22 points while going a perfect 8-for-8 from the field. She also added a rebound and a block in the 100-84 win.

“I have to give credit to my teammates. They’re the ones putting me in good positions,” she said after the game. “Thankfully, I was able to be efficient today, and that’s always been my goal. I take a lot of pride in efficiency and being effective for my team.”

Gustafson further revealed that she got to know that she was starting just an hour before the game. 

However, it was not a one-off game for the 29-year-old. She has impressed while playing for the Fire throughout this season. She now averages 9.1 points and 3.0 rebounds over the season. For context, she averaged 3 points and 1.8 rebounds for the Aces last year. Gustafson is using her opportunity to spin gold, earning praise from her coach, Alex Sarama. 

“I think we got to celebrate Megan, too.” Sarama said during the postgame presser, “22 points, perfect eight of eight field goal attempts, just, and I felt she did a really good job on Boston, which that was what we asked of her, and she did all of that more. Great team win.”

Gustafson has become one of the cornerstones of a Portland team that refuses to be defined by what it lacks. No superstar. No household names. No lofty expectations. Yet 10 games into the season, the Fire have already won six times and are proving that belief, chemistry, and execution can be just as valuable as star power.

And perhaps nothing captures Portland’s journey better than her emotional postgame comments. Fighting back tears, she reflected on what this team and organization have meant to her. “We’re a bunch of overlooked players… I’ve never really been respected as a basketball player until I’ve gotten here… I’m thankful for this team, this organization. They believe in me.”

For every big play Gustafson made, Clark found herself stuck in one of the toughest nights of her career.

She was already coming off a frustrating outing against the Valkyries, where she was held to a season-low 16 points and even declined to speak to the media afterward. But while that performance raised a few eyebrows, few could have predicted what was to come against Portland.

Clark scored just six points, shooting 1-for-7 from the field and missing all three of her attempts from beyond the arc. The performance marked just the seventh single-digit scoring game of her career and only the fourth time she has finished a game without making a three-pointer.

As per ESPN Research, the 24-year-old has struggled over her past two games, where she shot a combined 4-of-19 from the field (21%), which happens to be the worst field goal percentage of her career in a two-game span. And the problems didn’t stop on offense.

Defensively, Clark also had a tough night. Throughout the game, she found it difficult to contain Fire guard Carla Leite, who took full advantage and finished with 18 points and 12 assists. 

After a quiet start that saw the Fever jump out to an 8-2 lead in the opening three minutes, the rest of the game belonged to Portland. The Fire closed the first quarter with 29 points and carried that momentum straight into the second, never allowing Indiana a chance to get back into the contest.

A three-pointer from Sarah Ashlee Barker pushed their lead to 44-26 with just over four minutes remaining before halftime, leaving Indiana with no answers for Portland’s relentless offense. By the end of the third quarter, the Fire had stretched its lead to 25 points. Barker capped the period with another three-pointer that sent the sellout crowd at the Moda Center into a frenzy.

It was a game the Fever would like to forget. Their fourth loss of the season saw them get outscored 54-32 in the paint while shooting just 41% from the field as a team. The only real bright spot for Indiana was Aliyah Boston, who led the way with 18 points and seven rebounds in an otherwise disappointing night. 

Coach White knows the frontcourt issues aren’t going away anytime soon, and if the Fever don’t find a solution quickly, it could continue to hurt them as the season progresses. But that’s not the only concern. 

Clark’s back-to-back off nights will also be a concern for Indiana. When Clark is firing on all cylinders, the Fever can go toe-to-toe with anyone in the league. But when she struggles to find her groove, Indiana’s flaws become much harder to hide.

To her credit, Clark didn’t shy away from her struggles after the game, admitting that she needs to be better defensively and vowing to correct those issues moving forward.

Caitlin Clark concedes defensive problems after Portland targets her

Caitlin Clark’s defensive struggles are not a new narrative. She has struggled ever since her rookie year and has been one of the few points of criticism against the phenom. However, in 2026, those struggles were exploited even more by the opponents, especially by the Portland Fire, who put her on an island and went solo.

Clark could not keep up, finding herself in foul trouble as she picked up her fifth foul in the third quarter. After the game, she admitted the flaw and committed to improving on it. 

“It’s hard when you foul. I need to do a better job of staying straight up, keeping the offensive player in front of me, and moving my feet better if they’re going to hunt isolations,” Clark said. “There were definitely some tough ones, but that’s basketball. It’s just a game. You learn from it, watch the film, and come back ready to go for the next game.”

This is not an isolated case. The Golden State Valkyries did the same. At one point, they were passing the ball to the player who was defended by Clark, who had 16 points on 3-of-12 shooting.

Nevertheless, it’s not only a personnel problem but a strategic problem too. While Clark improves, Stephanie White needs to figure out a structure where she can cover for Clark on defense while unleashing her offense as well.