In the first-ever meeting between a healthy Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers, the Indiana Fever (11-10) rolled to another blowout win on Sunday afternoon by defeating the Dallas Wings (6-16) by a score of 102-83 from Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind.
While the Fever continue to ease Clark back into the lineup with short spurts of minutes throughout the game, the former Hawkeye finished with 14 points on 4-for-12 from the field, 2-for-7 from 3-point territory, and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line in 25 minutes. She also registered a season-high in assists and steals with 13 helpers and five thefts, three rebounds, and one block.
Leading Indiana in scoring was once again Kelsey Mitchell, who finished with 20 points on 8-for-12 from the field, 1-for-3 from deep, and 3-for-4 from the charity stripe in 28 minutes.
Along with Mitchell and Clark, Indiana finished with three other players scoring in the double-digits as the Fever spread the offense throughout the lineup as the game progressed.
Continuing with her impactful play off the bench, Sophie Cunningham had a spectacular shooting performance against the Wings as the guard scored 13 points on 5-for-6 from the field, 2-for-3 from beyond the arc, and 1-for-2 from the line through 22 minutes of action.
With her 13-point effort on Sunday, Cunningham now surpasses the 1,500-point mark in her sixth year in the WNBA across her five seasons with the Phoenix Mercury and current campaign with the Fever.
After a back-and-forth first quarter, Indiana took firm control of the game with an impressive 36-point second-quarter effort that saw the team seemingly get whatever it wanted against the Wings’ defense.
While the third quarter was much more competitive in terms of scoring differential, the game was almost all but decided entering the final 10 minutes.
Despite a lopsided score, Bueckers continued her remarkable rookie campaign by leading the Wings offensively with 21 points on 9-for-15 from the field, 2-for-4 from 3-point territory, and 1-for-3 from the free-throw line in 33 minutes to go along with four rebounds and four assists.
Both teams will meet again in front of another sold-out crowd on Aug. 1 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, where the league will hopefully get to see both Clark and Bueckers compete against each other without restriction.
The Aug. 1 matchup from the 20,000-seat American Airlines Center is set for a tipoff at 6:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on ION. Fans can also stream the game via Fubo, which offers a free trial to first-time customers.Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions. Follow Scout on X: @SpringgateNews
This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Indiana Fever, Caitlin Clark collect dominant win vs Paige Bueckers, Dallas Wings
Reporting by Scout Springgate, Hawkeyes Wire / Hawkeyes Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
