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Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers finally went head-to-head for the first time as WNBA players on Sunday night in Indianapolis. Clark and the Fever got the best of the Dallas Wings to earn an easy 102-83 win. Bueckers shared her true feelings about the historic matchup after the game.
Speaking to reporters, Bueckers had nothing but praise for Clark, who finished the game with 14 points, three rebounds, 13 assists and five steals. She was still cold from the field at 4-for-12, but she only had two turnovers.
"She is a very smart basketball player," Bueckers said, according to the IndyStar. "It's fun anytime we can compete against each other. We're two competitors who just want to win, who grew up playing against and playing with each other, so it's great. And the environment is great here."
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Paige Bueckers played well in their first matchup, putting up 21 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals on 9-for-15 shooting from the field. Bueckers did commit four turnovers, but it was an overall great performance from the WNBA Rookie of the Year favorite.
On the other hand, Caitlin Clark continued her shooting woes, but she still contributed a lot to the Indiana Fever's offense. She had a game-high 13 assists, which energized the team the entire game.
Kelsey Mitchell was fantastic with 20 points, four rebounds and three assists on 8-for-12 shooting. Natasha Howard had 18 points, two rebounds and two steals, while missing just one shot the entire game. Aliyah Boston added 17 points and three rebounds, while Sophie Cunningham scored 13 points off the bench.
The Fever improved to 11-10 for the season and will face the Connecticut Sun and New York Liberty in back-to-back nights before heading into the All-Star break. The Wings, on the other hand, dropped to 6-16 and will battle the Las Vegas Aces in their final game before the break.
Caitlin Clark comments on Paige Bueckers matchup
In her postgame press conference, Caitlin Clark had a lot of good things to say about Paige Bueckers and her skills.
"Paige just plays way older than she is," Clark said. "She's confident. She's smooth. She does everything at a high-level, and it has translated really well, just like everyone knew it would."
Clark and Bueckers faced each other just twice in college, with the former winning at the National Semifinal in 2024 and the latter getting the victory in the Round of 16 in 2021.
