Caitlin Clark Leads Fever to Historic Triumph
In the highly anticipated first matchup between the top draft picks, Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers, it was Clark and the Indiana Fever who prevailed on Sunday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, achieving a historic victory. The Fever set a franchise record with 64 points in the first half, fueled by an impressive second quarter of 36-15, taking control of the game and securing a 102-83 victory. Clark, the first pick of the 2024 draft, finished with 13 assists, setting a personal best and a record for the Fever in a regular game. In addition, this was the seventeenth time in her career that she achieved 10 assists, but the first with no more than two turnovers.
No play excited Fever fans more than when Clark blocked JJ Quinerly’s layup attempt at the start of the second quarter and then assisted Sophie Cunningham with a spectacular pass from three-quarters of the court.
Bueckers, the first pick of 2025, led all scorers with 21 points on 9-of-15 shooting, making it the fourth-longest streak of double-digit scoring to start a WNBA career (17 games). The Rookie of the Year favorite added 4 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals, although she also committed 4 turnovers. After a back-and-forth first quarter, the Fever focused on defense and demolished the Wings in transition, achieving a 25-4 run and reaching halftime with a 64-42 lead. The 21 points marked Indiana’s best point differential in any quarter since 2016, and the Fever’s 64 points were the most a WNBA team has scored in a half this season. Indiana shot 52% from the field, scored 23 points off 18 Wings turnovers, and amassed a season-high 58 points in the paint. The Fever led by as many as 29 points in the third quarter and finished with five players in double figures for the fourth time this season, led by a combined 55 points from Kelsey Mitchell (20), Natasha Howard (18), and Aliyah Boston (17).I still haven’t shot as well as I would have liked, but I feel like it’s coming. I’m just trying to keep putting my legs in shape,” said Clark, who played her third game after a two-week absence. “I think my game was really good. There was no reason for me to really shoot that much… We were very balanced and people executed.
Caitlin Clark
Indiana coach Stephanie White added: “For us to play in transition, we have to focus on the defensive end. And the ball was moving, we were playing close to .5 basketball in that second quarter.” After a mediocre offensive performance on Wednesday, in which the Fever (11-10) managed only 61 points with 30% accuracy, Indiana has now scored 201 points in its last two games. White said she is “satisfied with our progress” as the team seeks to solidify its identity. Dallas (6-16) saw the return on Sunday of Arike Ogunbowale from a thumb injury that kept her out for three games, but the four-time All-Star struggled to find her shooting rhythm. She finished with two points and missed all 10 field goal attempts, the most field goal attempts without scoring in her career. Bueckers added: “This was the best response to [shooting problems] since I’ve been here. It may not have been his shooting night, but the way he continued in the game, didn’t let it affect his effort on both sides of the court, his leadership on this team, that was huge for me.”I think we were firing on all cylinders, moving the ball well, getting to the next action, playing a good pick and roll,” Clark said. “And then our defense was good and gave us a lot of points in transition.
Caitlin Clark
