Chicago — Caitlin Clarke Scored a career-high 31 points and 12 assists in his final regular season matchup with fellow rookie sensation angel reeseLeading Indiana Fever Won a spectacular 100-81 win over a struggling team chicago sky on Friday night.
Clark made 8 of 14 shots from the field, including 5 of 9 on 3-pointers, her 11th double-double. She is the only player to have three games of at least 25 points and 10 rebounds in a season. And she is the first WNBA player to score or assist more than 50 points in a single season.
Reese, on the other hand, scored 10 points and 11 rebounds, tying his scoring with 11. Tina Charles surpassing Sylvia Fowles for the rookie double-double and the Chicago season record with 23. Reese set the record with 1:32 to play, long after Clark and the other Indiana starters had left the game. She also has a rookie record 399 rebounds.
Clarke has closed the door on the much-discussed Rookie of the Year race as the Fever (16-16) beat the Sky (11-20) for the third time in four meetings, sealing their likely playoff berth while Chicago remains in last place as the season ends.
The first match was decided by a total of 10 points, with each team winning by one point, while the match was quite exciting. Indiana scored the most points this season, while Chicago scored the most points this season.
“I thought we played really well and that was a big deal for us,” Clark said. “When you’re in a playoff race, it almost comes down to a count of two, like a win or a loss. We knew that was a big deal, but we also wanted to win the season series with them. That was kind of the focus point.”
The game drew a crowd of 9,445 to Wintrust Arena during Barbie Night — a nod to Reese’s college nickname at LSU, Bayou Barbie. The crowd included Pro Basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal, as well as Sue Bird — who had her own Barbie doll during her game. Seattle Storm on game days — and soccer star Megan Rapinoe.
Kelsey Mitchell She scored 23 points on 9 of 13 shots, her sixth consecutive game of at least 20 points for the Fever, who are 5–1 since the Olympic break. NaLyssa Smith contributed 14 points and Lexi Hull It was 11.
“I think we understand each other a lot better,” Clark said of the current lineup. “Getting time to play with each other and having chemistry builds your confidence. I think you see it. … I’m proud of this group. We’re sharing the ball, we’re taking good shots and that’s helping our transition game and it’s helping us on defense.”
The Fever were outrebounded 42-31, but had 28 points in the paint and shot 48.5% with 26 assists on 32 baskets.
Michaela Onyenwere Scored 20 points to lead Chicago, which is 1-5 since the Olympic break. Lindsay Allen had 19 points and Rachel Banham 14 included. Akash was without Chennedy Carter (17.2 points per game), who missed her second consecutive game due to health and safety protocols.
Allen scored eight points, Chicago scored 11 consecutive points and turned it into a 15-1 run that led to a 21-9 lead. But Indiana started the first quarter with a 12-2 run to fall behind 26-23. The Sky made four of their season-high nine 3-pointers in the first quarter
“Except for the first six minutes of the game, I thought we were really good. We played great defense,” Clark said. “I’m proud of this group. I thought we battled and we didn’t let it get close at the end and that was the problem the last time we were here. We let them come back, we know they’re a really good fourth quarter team, but we battled and figured it out.”
Clark started the second quarter with a pair of 3-pointers, putting the Fever ahead. Eventually, their run was 34-12, good for a 10-point lead on Mitchell’s 3-pointer. Chicago came back up 47-41 at the break, waiting for Reese’s free throws to start the second half as a result of the technical ons. Aliyah BostonJo was upset with the non-call as the half ended. She made the free throw and it was a five-point game entering the second half.
The Fever extended the lead to 11 early in the third quarter, but the Sky stayed close until the end. damiris dantas hit a 3-pointer and Hull made two free throws after a hustle-play offensive rebound as time expired. It was 76-64 going into the fourth quarter as Smith scored 11 points in the third.
The lead grew to 27, after which Chicago took a 10–2 lead.
“We can go up or we can go down,” Reese said. “We don’t want to keep losing. It’s not a good feeling for any of us.”
This report used information from The Associated Press.