WASHINGTON — Caitlin Clark’s heroics have struck again.
“I mean, are we surprised?” Aliyah Boston told the local broadcast following Indiana’s 78-76 win over Washington on Monday night. “Caitlin Clark is Caitlin Clark, and she does that.”
The Indiana Fever (6-5, 2-1 Commissioner’s Cup) were down 76-75 with five seconds remaining in the game after a myriad of things didn’t go the Fever’s way — Clark missed two free throws that could’ve given Indiana a three-point cushion, then Sonia Citron drew a foul on Lexie Hull.
Citron hit both of those free throws, giving Indiana, which at one point led by 17 in the third quarter, four seconds to get the ball in the basket.
And Clark should never be counted out.
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Sophie Cunningham was inbounding for the Fever at midcourt, and she found Clark cutting over to her spot behind the 3-point line. Clark grabbed the ball, just barely avoiding a tip from Mystics guard Cotie McMahon.
McMahon, failing to get the steal, ended up running just past Clark. So, the Fever star was wide open from 31 feet to try and get the Fever a buzzer-beater win.
Swish.
Quickly, Clark had redeemed herself after those missed free throws.
“(I was thinking) better make this because I missed my free throws,” Clark said of what was going through her mind on that shot. “… Cotie almost got a fingertip on it, but it kind of worked out perfectly that she went for the steal, and honestly, probably the most wide open shot I had all night. My hands were a little clammy, but it was still a winner.”
It was exactly the play, too, that assistant coach Austin Kelly drew up. It was a play that the Mystics likely weren’t expecting — in those one-point situations, it may be more typical to go for a 2-point, high-percentage shot.
But the Fever kept the Mystics on their toes. And it worked flawlessly.
“Austin does a lot of our end-of-game stuff, and it was what he drew up, you know, and we executed it perfectly,” Fever coach Stephanie White said. “We’ve been in a lot of those end of game situations, and we’ve done a really good job of executing in those moments. We got the shot, and C stepped up and made a hell of a shot.”
These types of games, these kinds of moments, are what Clark excels at. She made a name for herself at Iowa with her logo 3-pointers and thrifty passes, and she brought that right with her to the Fever.
That’s something White never wants to take for granted.
“(This) is an opportunity to continue to feel more and more like herself and grow that confidence back,” White said. “I say this often, and I think sometimes we take great players and certainly generational talent for granted. What she did was incredible for us. She’s going to have many more moments like that. I know she is. And we needed this one tonight.”
Of course, the fact the Fever were in that late-game situation — one that necessitated a heroic moment from Clark — is a cause for concern. The Fever were up 17 points in the third quarter, but the Mystics, even after Kiki Iriafen went down with a right ankle injury in the first half, found a way to get themselves back in the game.
Washington managed to get multiple Fever players in foul trouble throughout the fourth quarter. Boston and Monique Billings each picked up their fifth fouls early in that quarter, forcing them to sit and allowing the Mystics to take advantage of the reserve frontcourt. Kelsey Mitchell picked up her fifth foul late in the fourth, so over half of the Fever’s starting lineup was playing with five fouls.
It was nearly a deja vu game from Indiana’s loss to New York on Saturday, when the Fever blew a 12-point third-quarter lead and ended up with an eight-point loss that saw the Liberty take 40 total free throws.
The difference in Washington, though, is how they reacted in the fourth quarter. They made some mistakes, but they found a way to get the win in the end. At the end of the day, that is all that matters.
“This is a hard league to play in, and you take a win in whatever way you can get it,” Clark said. “And when we go down the line here, nobody’s gonna look back and be like, ‘Oh, well, the Fever probably should’ve lost this game, but they made a buzzer beater.’ No, it’s the W, it’s a win for us, so we’re happy about that, but also, like, you go back and look at everything and find a way to improve, and certainly we can improve our defense the best we can.”
Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at chloe.peterson@indystar.com or follow her on X at @chloepeterson67. Get IndyStar’s Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter. Subscribe to IndyStar TV: Fever for in-depth analysis, behind-the-scenes coverage and more.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Fever not taking Caitlin Clark’s ‘generational talent for granted’ after game-winner vs Mystics
Reporting by Chloe Peterson, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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By Chloe Peterson, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
