Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever go into FIBA World Cup break with big win over Connecticut
The Indiana Fever tuned up for the upcoming WNBA break in emphatic fashion on Friday night, dismantling the visiting Connecticut Sun 111-91 at home and continuing a late-season surge that has pushed them further into the league's upper tier.
Connecticut, which entered the night holding just 10 wins on the year, came out aggressive and stunned the home crowd with a 28-19 lead after the opening quarter. The Sun looked poised to play spoiler before the league pauses for the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup.
Instead, the Fever answered with one of their most lopsided quarters of the season. Indiana blitzed Connecticut 39-15 in the second period, turning a nine-point deficit into a 58-43 halftime advantage. The rout was on from there, as the Fever never allowed the Sun to climb back into the game.
Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell did much of the heavy lifting once again. Clark poured in 34 points and added 12 assists, including a highlight-reel feed to Mitchell in the third quarter that set social media buzzing. Mitchell matched Clark's 34 points, a performance that pushed her into the league lead in total points scored this season.
The back-to-back 30-point efforts marked the fourth time this season Clark and Mitchell have each reached that mark in the same game, extending their own WNBA record for the most 30-point performances by a duo in a single season.
Indiana's offensive barrage also produced a milestone for the franchise. The victory was the Fever's 19th game this season with at least 100 points, setting a new team record. The previous high had stood as one of the few remaining benchmarks from the franchise's earlier era.
For Connecticut, the loss continued what has been a difficult season. The Sun, who opened the night with a 10-23 record, showed fight early but had no answer for Indiana's offensive depth once the Fever found their rhythm.
With the WNBA set to pause for the next two weeks so players can represent their countries at the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup, Friday's win gave Indiana a strong final note before the break. The Fever have just four regular-season games remaining. Their next contest is scheduled for September 18 on the road against the Toronto Tempo.
The break will give Clark and her teammates a chance to rest and, for some, to compete on one of basketball's biggest international stages, before the WNBA's stretch run resumes. For a Fever squad that has set records and reasserted itself as a contender over the past two months, the timing could hardly be better.