In the first of three meetings this regular season, the Indiana Fever (11-14) upset the Minnesota Lynx, 81-74, on Sunday afternoon at Target Center. Indiana defeated Minnesota 28–14 in front of a sold-out Target Center, and limited the Wolves to just 4-of-13 shooting in the fourth quarter.
The Fever’s center Aliyah Boston, forward NaLyssa Smith, guards Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark, and forward NaLyssa Smith all scored in double digits for the second straight game. With a game-high 21 points, Mitchell led the scoring and finished the game with four rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one blocked shot. Mitchell tied Leilani Mitchell for 18th place on the WNBA All-Time 3-point field goal chart with 508 made shots outside the arc in her seventh game of the season and her second straight game with 20 or more points.
Boston grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds in addition to scoring 17 points on 8 of 11 field goals to register her tenth double-double of the year. Boston moved up to 20th place on the Fever All-Time scoring list, passing Jessica Davenport, while also recording four blocks and two assists. In the victory, Clark added 17 points, six assists, three rebounds, and two steals. With six assists, Clark surpasses Sue Bird to take second place on the WNBA All-Time Rookie assists list, which now stands at 194. On Sunday, Clark contributed either as a scorer or an assist on the first 14 points of the last quarter.
Together, Smith and Fever forward Katie Lou Samuelson scored eight and eleven points, respectively, and contributed five rebounds and seven assists. Fever forward Damiris Dantas scored five points and pulled down three rebounds in just five minutes of action.
Throughout the game, Indiana and Minnesota drew 14 times, including 8 times in the second half. The Fever embarked on a 14-6 run to close out the game, outscoring the Lynx 40–20 in paint points.
Despite the setback, five Lynx (16-8) players scored in double figures on Sunday, with forward Alanna Smith leading the way with 18 points, 13 of which came from the opening quarter. Smith added four thefts and eight rebounds to his stats. Bridget Carleton, a forward, fell behind with 17 points and five 3-pointers made. In the defeat, Carleton also contributed seven rebounds and six assists. Guard Courtney Williams and reserve big Cecilia Zandalasini each contributed ten points, while guard Kayla McBride finished with eleven points and seven assists.
The next time Indiana and Minnesota play is on August 24, when the Fever return to Target Center for their third game after the Olympics.
