26 September (UPI) — Despite being swept by the Connecticut Sun in the opening round, Caitlin Clark said the Indiana Fever had a “taste of what’s possible” despite her game-high 25 points not being enough to save them from being eliminated from the playoffs.
Game 2 of the best-of-three series ended in an 87-81 loss for the WNBA Rookie of the Year, who made 10 of 23 shots, including 3 of 12 from 3-point range, on Wednesday in Uncasville, Connecticut.
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The Fever began their season 1-8 but went on to secure their first postseason spot since 2016. The Fever ended 13-27 in 2023 and 5-31 in 2022.
Clark told reporters at Mohegan Sun Arena on Wednesday, “It’s a good little taste of what’s possible for this organization and for this franchise.” “We have many reasons to be proud of this. Two years ago, this team won five games.
Associated
Ignoring her black eye, Caitlin Clark anticipates a stronger Fever performance against Sun Wash. In front of WNBA record attendance, Mystics defeated Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever.
Caitlin Clark breaks the WNBA rookie scoring record with a career-high 35 points.
“Although we’re a young, inexperienced group, we got together and enjoyed ourselves immensely while playing together. The saddest thing of it sometimes is that even when you think you’re playing your best basketball, it has to end.”
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No. 3 Sun was outscored 43.4% to 41.7% by the No. 6 Fever. In addition, the Fever outscored the Sun 19–9 on fast breaks, outrebounding them 43–29, and had a 48–40 advantage in points in the paint. However, they committed 16 turnovers as opposed to just eight for their opponents.
Forward Alyssa Thomas of the Sun finished with 19 points, 13 assists, and 5 rebounds. Marina Mabrey, a seasoned guard, finished with 17 points and 6 assists. DeWanna Bonner, a forward for the Sun, recorded 15 points and 8 rebounds.
Center for the Fever Aliyah Boston finished with 19 rebounds and 16 points. Kelsey Mitchell, a seasoned guard, contributed 17 points, three assists, and three rebounds.
There were seven lead changes and four ties in the series finale. Over the last four minutes, Clark and the Fever gained the lead three times, but they were unable to hang on as Mabrey and Bonner came up with big plays in the closing seconds.
With 2:05 left, Boston hit a basket to give the Fever their last lead, 77-75, but the Sun answered with a 10-0 run to end the game. In the fourth quarter, Mabrey scored eight points and Bonner scored nine. Of her 25 points, 14 were scored by Clark in the first half.
Promotion
With multiple records at the end of her first season, including most assists in a single season, points for a rookie, and 3-pointers for a rookie, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft concluded her career.
With 19.2 points per game, she equaled Mitchell for seventh place in the league. In addition, she led the WNBA in 3-pointers made (3.1), assists (8.4), and attempts (8.9) made per game.
With regard to her rookie season, Clark remarked, “I don’t know how I would grade myself.” “I give harsh grades. I think I had a very successful year.
The enjoyable aspect for me, though, is that I always feel like I’m only touching the surface because I’m a perfectionist in everything I do. I’m aware that there’s a lot of opportunity for improvement on my part and that I want to help this squad and my teammates get even better.
That’s what most thrills me, then. I think I can keep improving, and before you know it, I’m confident we’ll all be back here, prepared for the upcoming year.”
The Sun’s WNBA semifinal matchup is against the No. 2 Minnesota Lynx. On Wednesday in Minneapolis, the Lynx defeated the No. 7 Phoenix Mercury 101-88 to advance.
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In the WNBA Finals, the victor of the Lynx-Sun series will take on either the No. 1 New York Liberty or the No. 4 Las Vegas Aces.
The Liberty-Aces series begins on Sunday in Brooklyn, New York, at 3 p.m. EDT on ABC. Sunday’s 8:30 p.m. Minneapolis tipoff for the Lynx-Sun series will be broadcast on ESPN.
A best-of-five game format is used for the WNBA semifinals and finals.
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