Caitlin Clark scores career-high 35 as Fever clip Wings
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) celebrates after a three-point basket against the Dallas Wings in the first half of a WNBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
INDIANAPOLIS — Caitlin Clark scored a career-high 35 points with eight assists, Kelsey Mitchell added 30 points and the duo combined to hit 12 of Indiana’s 16 3-pointers to help the Fever beat the Dallas Wings 110-109 on Sunday.
Clark, whose 329 assists are a single-season WNBA record, has a rookie-record 761 points this season, breaking the mark set by Seimone Augustus (744) in 2006.
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Indiana (20-19), which was coming off back-to-back losses to the two-time defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces, clinched the No. 6 seed in the playoffs, which begin next Sunday. The Fever will play the third-seeded Connecticut Sun, who won three of the four regular-season matchups between the teams, in the first round.
READ: WNBA: Caitlin Clark breaks single-season record for assists
Caitlin Clark had a masterful performance in perhaps her best offensive game of the year as she poured in a career-high 35 PTS, 2 REB, 8 AST, 3 STLS in the @IndianaFever‘s 110-109 win over the Wings 🏀#WelcometotheW pic.twitter.com/f5xpHcZphe
— WNBA (@WNBA) September 15, 2024
Indiana tied its franchise record for single-game scoring and tied its season high for made 3s. The Fever made 38 of 76 from the field, shot 47% from 3-point range and hit 18 of 21 (86%) from the free-throw line.
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Clark made a driving layup, stole a pass on the other end and then came off a screen by Temi Fagbenle and made another layup to give the Fever a 90-86 lead with 6:35 to play. Teaira McCowan scored inside to cut the deficit to two, but Clark made back-to-back 3s and, after a transition take foul, hit a free throw to make it 97-88 with four minutes left.
Arike Ogunbowale made a contested runner in the lane and then a layup to spark an 8-0 spurt that pulled the Wings within a point with 2:27 remaining. Mitchell hit a 3-pointer off an inbounds pass from Clark and, after Satou Sabally scored in the paint, Damiris Dantas hit 3s 25 seconds apart to give Indiana a 106-98 lead with a minute to go.
Ogunbowale fed Natasha Howard for a short pullup jumper, then converted a 3-point play to make it a one-possession game with 41 seconds left. Clark and Aliyah Boston each made 2 of 2 from the free-throw line to hold off the Wings, who got 3-pointers from Ogunbowale and Sabally in the final 2.1 seconds.
READ: WNBA: Kelsey Mitchell strong complement to Caitlin Clark at Fever
Dallas (9-30) has lost eight games in a row.
Ogunbowale and Sabally scored 27 points apiece for the Wings and Natasha Howard added 26 points and 10 rebounds.
Boston scored 15 points for Indiana.
The Fever have split their previous two meetings this season with Dallas. Each team scored at least 100 points to win on its home court.
