Caitlin Clark, a rookie with the Indiana Fever, threw the ball high into the air on Saturday as time ran out. Kelsey Mitchell, a seasoned guard, has just begun to applaud.
At last, following four straight home defeats, the Fever were rejoicing.
In the most recent game between college rivals Clark and Angel Reese, which took place in front of a sellout crowd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on the same day that former South Carolina standout Kamilla Cardoso made her regular-season professional debut, Clark finished with 11 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists in a 71-70 victory over the Chicago Sky on Pride Day.
Following their victory in the first Commissioner’s Cup game, Clark remarked, “It was great, and I think it came at a really great time.” “Our supporters were fantastic. They felt energised.
Since that’s what the fans come to see, you know that sometimes it’s difficult for us as a team to shoot the ball well collectively. However, I believe they were truly impressed by our excellent defence tonight.
Before Clark threw the ball, her teammates were there to lend a helping hand. With 6.6 seconds remaining, Dana Evans missed the first of two free shots for the Sky, cutting the lead to one point.
Aliyah Boston and Kristy Wallace each scored ten points, NaLyssa Smith had seventeen points and nine rebounds, and Mitchell finished with eighteen points. The Fever (2-8) ended a three-game losing streak behind eight rebounds from Boston, Cardoso’s former South Carolina teammate.
But scores and data weren’t the only thing this competition was about.
During a week in which Fever fans were treated to watching each of the top four draft picks and five of the top seven, it featured three of this year’s top seven picks—three players in a rookie class who might all become the new faces of the WNBA.
This time, Clark overcame two of the women who stood in her way of an NCAA championship, even as Chennedy Carter shot her in the shoulder just before an inbound pass in the third quarter. It was ruled an away-from-the-ball foul by the officials.
During their news conferences following the game, both players dismissed it.
“It caught me off guard,” Clark remarked. “It is what it is.” The game is tangible. Go make the free throw, play offensively, and I think we kind of did that.
Nevertheless, the rematches between Cardoso, who won her second title with the Gamecocks in March, and Clark, who was twice named NCAA player of the year and runner-up in the Division I national tournament, particularly including Reese, who guided LSU to the 2023 national championship, captured the attention of the spectators.
After the game, Reese declined to answer questions from reporters.
Christie Sides, the coach of the Fever, tried to emphasise the animosity between the two Midwestern clubs before the game, but the showdown was characterised by the enthusiastic applause for Clark during pregame introductions, which swiftly overshadowed any boos directed against Reese.
In her most recent game versus Clark, Reese ended with eight points and thirteen rebounds, and Cardoso made her first appearance since suffering a right shoulder injury on May 3rd during a preseason game. Despite having 11 points and six rebounds in just eighteen minutes, Cardoso was fouled, which set up Boston’s game-winning three-point play with 1:19 remaining.
Carter, who led the Sky with 19 points and six assists in their first game back, said, “She played pretty well, too.” The Sky finished 3-4. “Let’s give her some time; she hasn’t been in this position, closing the game.”
For Chicago, Marina Mabrey finished with 15 points and 9 rebounds.
Halfway through the first quarter, Cardoso made his debut and quickly made an impact. After Cardoso left halfway through the second quarter, the Sky overcame a 22-16 deficit, seized the lead, and maintained the momentum to finish with a 15-4 run. During that six-minute period, she finished with six points and four rebounds.
Just before halftime, Clark assisted in starting Indiana’s 9-0 run that gave the Fever a 35-31 lead.
Early in the second half, Chicago rallied to knot the score at 37, but Indiana responded with six straight points to end the third quarter ahead 54–49. After falling behind 68-58 in the game, the Sky made a late comeback and finished on a 12-3 run, but they were unable to overcome the entire deficit.
“We wouldn’t have won the game if we had shot like this earlier in the season because we lacked that resilience and allowed it to affect our defensive play,” Clark remarked. “I just thought we were really gritty, so just proud of us.”
