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Clark Leads Fever to Statement Win Over Top-Seeded Lynx
Caitlin Clark finished with 27 points, nine rebounds and seven assists as the Indiana Fever beat the league-leading Minnesota Lynx 96-77 in their final regular-season home game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
By Eleanor Ellington · 3 min read
Caitlin Clark delivered a game-high 27 points, nine rebounds and seven assists as the Indiana Fever cruised to a 96-77 victory over the league-leading Minnesota Lynx in their final regular-season home game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The win offered a timely momentum boost for Indiana ahead of the playoffs and kept alive the Fever's pursuit of first-round home-court advantage. It also erased the memory of a deflating loss to Washington on Sunday, after which the team had been searching for a response.
Indiana built its advantage early, opening a 23-point lead before half-time. That marked the largest deficit Minnesota had faced all season, underlining the scale of the Fever's first-half control. The Lynx, who sit top of the standings, were without rookie sensation Olivia Miles, who sat out with a calf injury.
Clark came close to a triple-double through three quarters and finished as the game's leading scorer. Indiana's «Big 3» of Clark, Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell combined for 67 points, with Mitchell extending her remarkable scoring run to a 27th consecutive game with 20 or more points.
Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve turned to her reserves for an extended run in the third quarter, and the Lynx finally found a rhythm, cutting the lead back to single digits. But the Fever had done enough in the first half to absorb the comeback and close out the win.
Clark was measured about the performance afterwards. «I thought our third quarter was a bit sloppy,» she said. «You've got to give their bench credit, but overall I thought our pace and intentionality on the offensive end were good.»
One notable rotation adjustment followed Sunday's loss, with the minutes flipped between Sophie Cunningham and rookie Raven Johnson. Johnson had been favoured on Sunday, limiting Cunningham to just seven minutes. On Tuesday, Cunningham saw significantly more court time than Johnson, and Indiana's offence ran noticeably smoother with her on the floor.
The result gives the Fever a significant lift before the post-season, following a difficult outing earlier in the week. Indiana will finish the regular season on Thursday with a rematch against the Lynx, this time in Minnesota.
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