Caitlin Clark looked rested and fresh after a month off in her first game since watching Team USA win Olympic gold. The rookie star scored 27 points with five rebounds and 10 assists to lead the Indiana Fever to a 98-89 victory over the Phoenix Mercury on Friday night.
Indiana’s guard won the night with Kelsey Mitchell scoring 28 points and shooting 6 of 13 from three-point range. Aliyah Boston added 14 points, followed by NaLyssa Smith with 13. Both players had nine rebounds.
The Mercury looked tired early, which would have been understandable given that they were playing the second straight game of the WNBA season restart. Phoenix played Thursday, winning 85-65 over the Chicago Sky. And the team also had three starters from the U.S. women’s basketball team’s gold medal game at the Paris Olympics last Sunday.
However, after trailing by 28 points (45-20) with six minutes left in the half, the Mercury fought back to cut the deficit to one point (65-66) with one minute left in the third quarter. Indiana held on to its lead and held Phoenix at bay throughout the fourth quarter, maintaining at least a five-point lead before opening it up to double digits again.
Kahleah Copper continued her breakout performance in the Olympic gold medal game, following up Thursday’s 29 points with a game-high 32 against the Fever, along with eight rebounds and six assists. The nine-year veteran made 18 of 19 free throws.
Natasha Cloud scored 19 points for Phoenix, while battling with Mitchell in the third quarter. Diana Taurasi added 16 points. With the loss, the Mercury fell to 14-13 with a 6-9 road record. Phoenix has lost all three games against the Fever this season.
Indiana improves to 12-15 (7-5 at home) and will face the Seattle Storm on Sunday. Kickoff is at 3:30 p.m. ET and the game will be televised on ABC. Also on Sunday, the Mercury will host the Sky at 9 p.m. ET.
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