Caitlin Clark DIMES Lexie Hull bucket + foul! Fever disappoint record dream crowd with 84-79 win.
.
.
.
Mitchell has 28, Clark 19 as Fever disappoint record dream crowd with 84-79 win
Caitlin Clark added 19 points, and the Indiana Fever disappointed a record Atlanta crowd by holding off the Dream 84-79.
Credit: (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson). Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark (22) dribbles the ball against Atlanta Dream’s Allisha Gray (15) in the first half of an WNBA basketball game.
Kelsey Mitchell scored 29 points, including the clinching free throws with 5 seconds left, Caitlin Clark added 19 points and the Indiana Fever disappointed a record Atlanta crowd by holding off the Dream 84-79 on Monday night.
In the closing seconds, without a timeout, Atlanta missed two 3-pointers but grabbed two offensive rebounds before fumbling the ball away, which led to Mitchell’s free throws.
Atlanta (10-19), which started the day a half-game out of the final playoff spot, trailed by 18 early in the second half when Clark hit a 3-pointer before outscoring the Fever (14-16) 41-32. The Dream got within two before Indiana’s five-point possession blunted the rally.
Aliyah Boston had 14 points and 11 rebounds for Indiana and Damiris Dantas scored 33 off the bench. Clark had four 3-pointers, tying the rookie record of 85 by Atlanta’s Rhyn Howard in 2022.
Tina Charles scored 21 to lead Atlanta, which moved the game to the home of the Atlanta Hawks and set an attendance record of 17,608, surpassing the crowd that attended the last game against the Fever (17,575). Howard had 16 points, Allisha Gray 12 — none after receiving a flagrant foul from Boston midway through the third quarter — and Jordin Canada 10 for the Dream.
Howard’s 3 pulled Atlanta to 76-74 with 4:13 to play but after an offensive rebound Clark found Lexie Hull for an and-1 layup a minute later. Hull rebounded her missed free throw and fed Mitchell for an and-1 layup she converted for an 81-74 lead.
Nia Coffey made a 3 for Atlanta with just under a minute to play to make it 82-79.
Mitchell had 15 points and Boston 12, on a combined 12-of-21 shooting as the Fever took a 52-38 lead.
At halftime the gold medal team from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics was honored.
Caitlin Clark has a sizeable bank account and even she knows how crazy expensive season tickets are in the WNBA.
Following a record night for the first-year guard, Clark was all smiles during the postgame interview to discuss the Fever’s 92-75 win over the Seattle Storm on Sunday.
Caitlin Clark (Photo per @clrkszn/Twitter)
Fever teammate Lexie Hull was asked if she would buy her family season tickets after she scored a career-high 22 points in the win over the Seattle Storm. During the game, her sister and grandma sat courtside.
That prompted Caitlin Clark to jump in and answer, saying, “Those are pretty expensive. It’s like our entire salary to get those. I’m not kidding. We need people to help.”
Caitlin Clark is not lying. Her base wage of $76,535 as a WNBA rookie and four-year contract worth $338,056 are nothing compared to what the guys are making in the NBA.
As of right now, it costs around $1,600 for Indiana Fever season tickets.
She is not hurting for money as she was paid an estimated $3 million in name, image, and likeness money while at Iowa, and before playing a WNBA game, she signed eight-figure deals with Nike and Wilson.
Caitlin Clark Set WNBA Rookie Record Amid Fever Storming Out Of The Gate Since The Olympics
The Indiana Fever are a brand new team with rest since the WNBA’s Paris Olympics break. They won their second consecutive game after a 92–75 home victory over the Seattle Storm on Sunday.
Caitlin Clark had 23 points on this night.
She also earned her 225th career assist in the second quarter, surpassing Ticha Penicheiro’s 1998 record for the most assists by a rookie in WNBA history.
“Ticha’s been a big fan of mine ever since I was in college and somebody that has always been right there to congratulate me or just be somebody that’s offered advice,” Caitlin Clark said in a postgame interview with ESPN’s Holly Rowe. “To pass somebody like her, I’m just forever thankful that she’s been such a legend in our game.”
