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Caitlin Clark finished with 25 points, six rebounds and nine assists in the Indiana Fever's 87-81 loss to the Connecticut Sun in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series. The Fever put up a fight but has now been eliminated from the 2024 WNBA playoffs.
Kelsey Mitchell contributed 17 points but struggled with her shot late in the game and also had five turnovers. Aliyah Boston added a monster double-double of 16 points and 19 rebounds on 7-for-12 shooting from the field. Temi Fagbenle had nine points as a starter, replacing NaLyssa Smith.
On the other hand, Alyssa Thomas dominated the game with 19 points, five rebounds and 13 assists. Marina Mabrey and DeWanna Bonner came up clutch to finish with 17 and 15 points, respectively. The Sun will face the winner of the Minnesota Lynx-Phoenix Mercury series.
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Here are Clark's stats for Game 2:
Caitlin Clark's impact on the game
In the first quarter, Caitlin Clark started the scoring with a shot from beyond the arc. It seemingly ignited the Fever's momentum, building a 14-6 lead with less than four minutes left in the first quarter. However, the Sun got hot to finish the period on a 9-0 run.
Connecticut appeared ready to break the game open after getting a 10-point lead at the 7:32 mark of the second quarter. The Fever tried to make a run but it became a back-and-forth game. The Sun ended the first half with a 41-34 advantage.
Clark finished the first half with 14 points, four rebounds and four assists with just one turnover. Despite sinking her first 3-point shot to start the game, she still struggled to shoot the ball.
The Indiana Fever opened the third quarter with a 7-0 run to force the tie two minutes into the period. It became a close contest until the 3:32 mark when the Connecticut Sun's 53-50 lead turned into 62-53 at the end of the period. Caitlin Clark only had six points in the quarter with fatigue starting to set in since he has not had a breather all game.
In the final period, the Sun got their biggest lead of the game with nine minutes remaining at 11 points. The Fever kept on battling and even trimmed the advantage to two points midway through the fourth.
Clark hit a 3-point shot with four minutes left to give the Fever a 71-70 lead. Another back-and-forth ensued, which put the entire building on its heels. But in the end, a couple of turnovers cost Indiana the game as the Sun made clutch shots.
Kelsey Mitchell missed two 3-point shots that might have been better if Clark took it. The rookie didn't attempt a shot from the 3:19 mark until a hail mary 3 with 14 seconds left in the game. Connecticut earned an 87-81 win to sweep the Fever and advance to the semifinals.
The Fever had a shot at winning the game to force Game 3 but they failed to put the ball at the hands of their best player when it mattered the most. Caitlin Clark also should have taken the initiative to take over, which she'll learn from this experience.
