Aug. 27 (UPI) — Caitlin Clark totaled 19 points, seven rebounds and seven assists en route to another WNBA record while helping the Indiana Fever beat the Atlanta Dream in Atlanta.
Fellow Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell totaled a game-high 29 points in the 84-79 triumph Monday at State Farm Arena. With her performance, Clark set a record for the most games (21) with at least 15 points and five assists in the same season.
“I’m really excited because I feel like there are so many areas for me to continue to get better,” Clark told reporters. “That’s exciting as a player.”
The Fever (14-16) have won five of their last seven games and sit in the No. 7 spot in the WNBA standings. They outshot the Dream 40.8% to 37% in Monday’s victory.
They also held an edge of 34-28 in points in the paint, 16-11 in second-chance points, 11-6 in points of fast breaks and led by as many as 18 points. They never trailed.
“This team has a lot of young talent,” Clark said. “I feel like we are just starting to put it together a little bit. Hopefully that continues to come along.”
Clark got off to another slow start, making just 1 of 3 shot attempts in the first quarter. She also rolled her left ankle in the first quarter, resulting in a fall to the floor. Clark went to the bench before returning to the court to score five points in the second quarter, pushing her first-half total to eight.
She poured in eight in the third and three in the fourth. Mitchell scored 11 of her 29 points in the second quarter. She also chipped in eight over the final 10 minutes.
The Fever outscored the Dream 52-38 in the first half. The Dream held a 41-32 scoring edge in the second half and trimmed the deficit to two points with 4:13 remaining, but could not complete the rally.
Dream center Tina Charles totaled 28 points and eight rebounds. Fever center Aliyah Boston totaled 14 points, 11 rebounds and four assists in the victory. Guard Damiris Dantas chipped in 11 points off the Fever bench.
The Fever will host the Connecticut Sun (22-7), who are on a three-game winning streak, at 7 p.m. EDT Wednesday in Indianapolis. The Dream (10-19) will play the Seattle Storm (18-11) at 10 p.m. Wednesday in Seattle.
