Fever Build Early Lead, Withstand Lynx Comeback
The Indiana Fever defeated the Minnesota Lynx 96-77 on Tuesday night in Indianapolis, preserving their slim chances of earning the No. 4 seed in the playoffs and home-court advantage in the first round for at least one more day. Caitlin Clark paced the Fever with 27 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, while Kelsey Mitchell contributed 20 points, extending her WNBA single-season record to 27 consecutive games with 20 or more points. Aliyah Boston added 17 points and seven rebounds for Indiana.[S1]
Indiana seized control with a 14-2 run to close the first quarter, opening a 31-16 lead. The Fever quickly extended the margin to 38-18 in the second quarter and led by as much as 57-28 in the first half. Minnesota, playing its backups for most of the final two and a half quarters, mounted a comeback. The Lynx cut the deficit to single digits late in the third quarter, and when Aari McDonald drove past a defender for an uncontested layup, the score was 71-64 at the end of three. Minnesota remained within 74-66 with 8:15 left, but Monique Billings made two free throws before baskets from Clark, Mitchell and Boston pushed the lead to 82-66, allowing the Fever to pull away late.[S1]
Lynx Clinch Top Seed Despite Missing Rookie
The Lynx still clinched the No. 1 seed thanks to Golden State's overtime loss to Portland on Tuesday. Minnesota was without Olivia Miles, the record-breaking rookie who was a late scratch because of an injured left calf. Miles, who broke Clark's single-season scoring record by a rookie on Sunday, clearly had an impact on the game. Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve said she almost held Miles out Sunday against Connecticut and that the team would take the injury day by day. Reeve also opted to bench her starters for most of the final two and a half quarters because she didn't want to risk other injuries after Indiana's fast start.[S1]
Chloe Bibby scored all of her 15 points on 3-pointers for Minnesota, while Liatu King finished with 12 points. The Lynx will host Indiana on Thursday in their regular season finale, and the Fever will close out their regular season road schedule Thursday at Minnesota.[S1]
