Kaitlyn Clarke scored 23 points and dished out nine assists, helping the Indiana Fever beat the Seattle Storm 92-75 on Sunday.
With 232 assists so far this season, Clark broke the WNBA rookie record of 224 set by Ticha Penicheiro in 1998. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft has scored at least 20 points in five of her last six games. She is averaging 23.7 points on 47 percent shooting from the field and has dished out 11.7 assists during that span.
Kelsey Mitchell had 27 points on 10-of-19 shooting and 5-of-8 from 3-point range, while Lexi Hull had a career-high 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting and a career-high 6-of-7 from 3-point range. Aaliyah Boston had 15 rebounds, nine points and a career-high eight assists for Indiana.
Jewell Loyd hit a jumper to cut the Storm’s lead to 61-60 with nine minutes left. Indiana’s Damiris Dantas hit a free throw about a minute later, Hull hit two 3-pointers 35 seconds apart, Mitchell added another from behind the 3-point line, and Boston hit a short jumper to cap a 14-5 run that put them up 75-65 with 5:51 left.
Skyler Diggins-Smith responded with back-to-back buckets in the lane 28 seconds later to make it a six-point game, but Hull hit back-to-back 3-pointers, this time sparking a 15-2 run with 31 seconds left. Clarke hit another 3-pointer and then assisted on 3-pointers by Mitchell and Dantas, the latter of which put the Fever ahead 90-71 with 2:24 left.
Loyd led Seattle (17-10) with 26 points, Diggins-Smith had 15 and Nneka Ogwumike added 14 points, nine rebounds and four steals. The trio combined to make just 20 of 54 from the field, and the Storm shot just 38.9 percent (28 of 72) overall.
With 12 games remaining in the regular season, Indiana (13-15), which has the same number of wins as it did in the 2023 campaign, has won back-to-back games after a month-long break for the Paris Olympics. The Fever won just three of 11 games to start the season and four of five overall, going 10-5.
Associated Press reports.
Caitlin Clarke
Indiana Fever
Get more information from the Women’s National Basketball Association Follow your favorites to get information about games, news, and more.
