After her comments on the Indiana Fever’s (10-10) team-wide struggles during an 80-61 loss on Wednesday against the Golden State Valkyries, Caitlin Clark and the Fever responded with an emphatic victory against the Atlanta Dream (12-8) Friday night from Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Although the team shot a scorching-hot 35-of-76 from the field, a season-high 11-of-30 from deep, and 18-of-20 from the charity stripe for an offensive output of 99 points, Clark once again was a bit off regarding her own shooting accuracy against the Dream.
As a final stat line, Clark scored 12 points on 5-of-17 shooting from the floor, 1-of-7 from 3-point territory, and 1-of-2 from the free-throw line. She also registered nine assists and four rebounds in 26 minutes of action.
Even though her second contest back from a five-game absence with a left groin injury, Clark’s success from 3-point territory was still a struggle. However, the former Hawkeye counteracted her long-range shooting difficulties by attacking the paint and converting on layups in her short periods of play.
Along with Clark’s 11 points, Sophie Cunningham, Aliyah Boston, and Kelsey Mitchell all scored in the double-digits Friday night.
Mitchell would lead the team with 25 points on 9-of-16 from the field, 3-of-7 from 3-point territory, and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line in addition to three assists, two blocks, and one steal in 25 minutes.
While Atlanta’s Jordin Canada entered halftime with a career-high-tying 26 points on a scorching 10-of-15 from the field and 6-of-9 from 3-point territory, Indiana’s swarming defense and adjustments saw Canada only put up four points in the game’s final 20 minutes.
In total, Indiana’s defense was incredible by forcing 14 Atlanta turnovers, including eight steals and three blocks. This strong performance fueled the Fever’s offensive eruption in the third and fourth quarters as Atlanta struggled to slow Indiana’s confident play.
Even though Clark only had a slightly improved offensive outing compared to her performance against Golden State, the star guard is still producing in other areas, such as rebounds and assists, to aid her teammates.
Clark and the Fever will look to replicate their success during their next game on Sunday, when they host a matchup vs. presumptive 2025 WNBA Rookie of the Year favorite Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings (6-15) from Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
That game will begin at noon CT and be broadcast on ABC. Fans can also stream the game via Fubo, which offers a free trial to first-time customers.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Fever vs Dream: How many points did Caitlin Clark score last night?
Reporting by Scout Springgate, Hawkeyes Wire / Hawkeyes Wire
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