Caitlin Clark scored 29 points and added 10 assists on Friday night in Indianapolis as the Indiana Fever built an early commanding lead and defeated the Phoenix Mercury 98-89.
It was the first game for the Fever (12-15) since the Olympic break, as the young team resumed WNBA play after a nearly month-long absence and continued its hunt for a playoff spot. For the Mercury (14-13), it was the second game in a row on the road. Phoenix beat the Chicago Sky on Thursday night.
But the Mercury didn’t have the same luck against the Fever. Their lack of defensive containment against the Fever’s backcourt was a big reason for that.
In addition to Clark’s performance, her 10th double-double of the season – in which the rookie also had five rebounds – Kelsey Mitchell added a season-high 28 points. In the frontcourt, Aliyah Boston had 14 points and nine rebounds, while NaLyssa Smith had 13 points and nine rebounds.
For the Mercury, Kahleah Copper continued her strong play from the gold medal game at the Paris Olympics as she scored 32 points and made 18 of 19 free throws. Natasha Cloud scored 19 points, Diana Taurasi added 16 and Brittney Griner chipped in 10.
The Fever started the game hot, jumping to a 30-12 lead with less than two minutes left in the first quarter. Mitchell had 10 points, two rebounds and a block in the period.
Indiana continued to score in the second quarter, extending its lead to 28 points with a 15-4 run fueled by a deep 3-pointer from Clark that Boston assisted on.
The Mercury came back in the third quarter with a 25-7 run to take a one-point lead on a 3-pointer by Copper, assisted by Cloud. The Fever came back before the end of the third frame, cutting their lead to as many as 13 points in the fourth.
Indiana won the rebounding battle with eight points, had 23 assists on 34 made baskets and outscored the Mercury 34-10 in the paint.
The end result marked the first time the Fever defeated the Mercury three times in the regular season and won the season series.