Caitlin Clark Goes Down W/ Ankle Injury, Returns To Game Minutes Later

Caitlin Clark fans had a collective panic attack last night ... after the Indiana Fever star went down with a scary ankle injury.

Thankfully, CC insists she's okay!

The scary moment happened during the first quarter of the Fever-Dream game at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Monday ... when the No. 1 draft pick rolled her left ankle playing defense.

The 6-foot rookie guard immediately crumbled to the ground, holding her ankle, clearly in serious pain.

It didn't look good ... but somehow Clark returned to the court in the second quarter with her ankle taped, and Clark and Fever fans across the country exhaled.

Despite missing time in the first half, Clark ended up with 19 points an 84-79 win.

"I saw the replay, and I look really soft," Clark said of the injury at the post-game press conference.

"It wasn’t that bad of a turn, but it hurt. So, sometimes you just need to give yourself a second. If you’ve ever sprained your ankle, it just kind of stings for a little bit, so I was good.”

Clark added, "You're not a real basketball player if you haven't sprained your ankles a bunch."

BTW, the 22-year-old made history once again ... with four made three-pointers last night, she tied Rhyn Howard for most threes made by a WNBA rookie (85).