Sept. 26 (UPI) — Caitlin Clark’s game-high 25 points weren’t enough to stave off playoff elimination, but she said the Indiana Fever got a “taste of what’s possible,” despite being swept by the Connecticut Sun in the first round.
The WNBA Rookie of the Year made 10 of 23 shots, including 3 of 12 from 3-point range, in the 87-81 loss in Game 2 of the best-of-three series Wednesday in Uncasville, Conn.
The Fever, who finished 13-27 in 2023 and 5-31 in 2022, started this season 1-8, but went on to clinch its first playoff appearance since 2016.
“It’s a good little taste of what’s possible for this organization and for this franchise,” Clark told reporters Wednesday at Mohegan Sun Arena. “There’s a lot for us to hold our heads high about. This team won five games two years ago.
“We’re a young group, a pretty inexperienced group, but we came together and had a lot of fun playing together. Sometimes the worst part of it is like you feel like you’re really playing your best basketball, and then it has to end.”
The No. 6 Fever outshot the No. 3 Sun 43.4% to 41.7%. The Fever also held a 43-29 edge in rebounding, 48-40 advantage in points in the paint and outscored the Sun 19-9 off fast breaks, but logged 16 turnovers, compared to just eight for their foes.
Sun forward Alyssa Thomas totaled 19 points, 13 assists and five rebounds. Veteran guard Marina Mabrey totaled 17 points and six assists. Sun forward DeWanna Bonner logged 15 points and eight rebounds.
Fever center Aliyah Boston registered 16 points and 19 rebounds. Veteran guard Kelsey Mitchell chipped in 17 points, three assists and three rebounds.
The series finale featured seven lead changes and was tied four times. Clark and the Fever took the lead three times over the final four minutes, but could not hold on as Mabrey and Bonner issued clutch responses down the stretch.
Boston made a layup with 2:05 remaining to give the Fever their final lead — 77-75 — but the Sun responded with a 10-0 run to put the game away. Bonner and Mabrey scored nine and eight points, respectively, in the fourth quarter. Clark scored 14 of her 25 points in the first half.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft finished her rookie campaign with several records, including the most assists in a single season, points for a rookie and 3-pointers for a rookie.
She tied Mitchell for No. 7 in the league with 19.2 points per game. She also led the WNBA in assists (8.4), 3-pointers made (3.1) and 3-point attempts (8.9) per game.
“I don’t know how I would grade myself,” Clark said of her rookie season. “I’m a tough grader. I feel like I had a solid year.
“But for me, the fun part is I feel like I’m just scratching the surface, and I’m one that’s nitpicking every single thing I do. I know I want to help this franchise get even better, help my teammates get even better, and I know there’s a lot of room for me to continue to improve.
“So, that’s what excites me the most. I feel like I can continue to get a lot better, and before we know it, I’m sure we’ll all be back here and ready for the next year.”
The Sun will take on the No. 2 Minnesota Lynx in the WNBA semifinals. The Lynx advanced with a 101-88 win over the No. 7 Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday in Minneapolis.
The winner of the Lynx-Sun series will face the No. 1 New York Liberty or No. 4 Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA Finals.
Game 1 of the Liberty-Aces series will tip off at 3 p.m. EDT Sunday in Brooklyn, N.Y., and air on ABC. The Lynx-Sun series opener will tip off at 8:30 p.m. Sunday in Minneapolis and air on ESPN.
The WNBA semifinals and WNBA Finals are played in best-of-five game formats.
