Kaitlyn Clark had 29 points and 10 assists Friday night in Indianapolis as the Indiana Fever built a comfortable early lead and beat the Phoenix Mercury 98-89.
It was the first game for the Fever (12-15) since the Olympics break as the young team resumed play in the WNBA season after a nearly month-long hiatus and continued to chase a playoff spot. For the Mercury (14-13), it was the second of a back-to-back away games. Phoenix beat the Chicago Sky on Thursday night.
But against Fever, Mercury were unlucky. Their lack of defensive containment against Fever’s backline was one of the main reasons behind this.
In addition to Clarke’s performance, which set a new season record for double-double points and also saw the rookie grab five rebounds, Kelly Mitchell added a season-high 28 points. Up front, Aliyah Boston scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds, while Nalyssa Smith chipped in with 13 points and nine rebounds.
For the Mercury, Kahlia Cooper continued her strong play since winning gold at the Paris Olympics, scoring 32 points, hitting 18 of 19 from the free throw line. Natasha Cloud scored 19 points, Diana Taurasi added 16 and Brittney Griner contributed 10 points.
The Fever team started the game strong, taking a 30-12 lead with less than two minutes left in the first quarter. Mitchell scored 10 points, grabbed two rebounds and made one block during that period.
Indiana continued to press in the second quarter, increasing its lead to 28 points after a 15-4 run thanks to a deep three-pointer from Clark that helped Boston score.
In the third quarter, the Mercury managed to get back into the game with a 25-7 lead, taking a one-point lead thanks to a three-pointer from Cooper, assisted by Cloud. The Fever managed to get back in the lead before the end of the third quarter, and then managed to cut the deficit to 13 points in the fourth quarter.
Indiana won the rebounding battle by eight points, had 23 assists on 34 shots, and outscored the Mercury 34-10 in the zone.
The final result marks the first time the Fever has beaten the Mercury three times in the regular season as they swept the season series.
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