Caitlin Clark scores 28, Fever overcome Arike Ogunbowale’s record-tying 9 3s and beat Wings 100-93
Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark makes a long pass upcourt in the first half of a WNBA basketball game against the Dallas Wings, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Caitlin Clark had 28 points and 12 assists and the Indiana Fever overcame a record-tying nine 3-pointers from Arike Ogunbowale in a 100-93 victory over the Dallas Wings on Sunday.
Kelsey Mitchell scored 36 points, including a 3 that gave the Fever a four-point lead with 1:58 remaining in a meeting of teams that entered with matching three-game winning streaks.
Ogunbowale finished 9 of 16 from long range — beating her previous career best of seven 3s — and scored 34 points. The All-Star Game MVP missed two attempts at a record 10th 3-pointer, including one with the Wings trailing by six in the final minute.
Ogunbowale, who tied a career high with eight rebounds, matched the league record for 3s held by Mitchell (2019) and Seattle’s Jewell Loyd (2023).
“I salute people like Arike because off the court, we’re really great friends,” Mitchell said. “We tend to work out and train together in the offseason. I wasn’t expecting any other way coming from a person like that.”
Clark and Mitchell hit five 3s apiece, combining to go 10 of 18 as the Fever shot 50% from long range and 53% overall.
“When you have two guards that are both making plays, it puts the other team in the tough position of what to take away, who to put on who,” Clark said. “We’re definitely shooting it well. We’re playing off each other well. We’re looking for each other, and we’re getting downhill, too. I think it’s been a good balance of everything.”
Clark was coming off a career-high 31 points in a win over fellow rookie of the year contender Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky.
She set a WNBA record with 19 assists in her first regular-season visit to Texas in the game before the Olympic break, a 101-93 Indiana loss when the Fever were on the edge of the playoff picture.
Now, Indiana (17-16) is above .500 for the first time with Clark and solidly in the playoff mix while the Wings (9-23) are still hoping to recover from a slow start triggered by several key injuries. Dallas, which won its first playoff series last year, is two games out of the final postseason spot with eight remaining.
The Fever are 6-1 since the Olympic break with three of those victories on the road. The reward is six consecutive home games starting Wednesday against the last-place Los Angeles Sparks before the regular-season finale at Washington.
“They’ve laid it out there. We just keep talking about emptying our tank,” Indiana coach Christie Sides said. “The confidence that they’re playing with, I’m proud of the road games. The road games have been tough. We just keep talking about momentum, keeping our foot on the gas.”
After making her eighth 3-pointer in the third quarter, Ogunbowale was called for a foul for not giving Kelsey Mitchell a landing area on a 3.
The Wings challenged, and lost, which led to Ogunbowale getting a technical foul. The Fever scored five points on that possession, cutting their deficit to 67-64 after Dallas had taken its biggest lead at 64-55 less than two minutes earlier.
Mitchell added two free throws after her crucial 3 as the Fever scored eight consecutive points for a 99-91 lead with 39 seconds remaining.
Satou Sabally scored 25 points, and Natasha Howard had 18 points and nine assists for the Wings. NaLyssa Smith had 14 points and eight rebounds for Indiana.
Tracking Caitlin Clark’s Stats, Top Highlights for 2024 WNBA Rookie Season with Fever
The Caitlin Clark show has arrived.
After becoming the NCAA’s all-time scoring leader and leading the Iowa Hawkeyes to the national championship game, Clark became the No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 WNBA draft. She will be under the spotlight throughout her rookie season with the Indiana Fever as fans tune in to see whether she can carry her scoring prowess to the next level.
Keep it locked right here for Clark’s stats and highlights throughout that rookie campaign.
Indiana Fever Record:Â 20-20
Catlin Clark’s playoff averages:Â 18 points, 8.5 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 2.0 steals, 1.0 blocks, 2.5 turnovers
Chris Marion/NBAE via Getty Images
Clark’s season ended on Wednesday night, but not without a fight.
The Fever superstar posted 25 points, nine assists and six rebounds, though it wasn’t enough to beat the balanced and experienced Sun. And thus, an amazing rookie season came to a close in the first round of the WNBA playoffs, as Clark and the Fever were swept.
The Fever got off to a feverish start, going up 13-4 to start the game, though the Sun came roaring back, retaking the lead by the end of the first quarter. They would hold the advantage until four minutes remained in the fourth quarter, when a Clark three put the Fever up one.
But the Sun were more poised down the stretch, holding off the Fever while moving on to the semifinals. The loss will sting in Indiana, but the Fever exceeded expectations and Clark more than lived up to her billing as the most exciting talent to hit the league in years.
Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images
Just like her rookie year began, Clark struggled in a 93-69 loss to the Connecticut Sun in Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs. Clark finished with 11 points, eight assists, four rebounds, three steals, a block and two turnovers in the loss.
Clark struggled to find her touch in her first postseason game, shooting just 4-of-17 from the field and 2-of-13 from three-point range.
While Clark struggled, Kelsey Mitchell did her best to keep Indiana in the game with a team-high 21 points. Aliyah Boston added 17 points and 11 rebounds. Unfortunately, the Fever didn’t have enough to over come Connecticut’s Marina Mabrey, who scored a game-high 27 points off the bench. DeWanna Bonner added 22 points and Alyssa Thomas had 12 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists for the Sun.
Clark and the Fever will try to keep their season alive when they face the Sun in Game 2 on Wednesday.
