Caitlin Clark looked rested and fresh after a month off, scoring 27 points with five rebounds and 10 assists in leading the Indiana Fever to a 98–89 win over the Phoenix Mercury on Friday night.
Indiana’s backcourt carried the night with Kelsey Mitchell tallying 28 points. Aliyah Boston added 14 points, followed by NaLyssa Smith’s 13. Both players grabbed nine rebounds.
The Mercury initially looked tired, which would have been understandable while playing the second of back-to-back games to resume the WNBA season. Phoenix played on Thursday, getting an 85–65 win over the Chicago Sky. And the team also had three starters play in last Sunday’s gold medal game for the U.S. women’s basketball team at the Paris Olympics.
However, after trailing by 28 points (45–20) with six minutes remaining before halftime, the Mercury fought back to cut their deficit to one point (65–66) with one minute left in the third quarter. Indiana held onto its lead and kept Phoenix at bay, maintaining at least a five-point margin before opening it back up to double digits.
This story will be updated.
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