There was no victory for Caitlin Clark in Minnesota on Saturday night as the Minnesota Lynx defeated the Indiana Fever 90-80 for their sixth straight victory.
In her first game since she broke the WNBA record for most assists in a rookie season, Clark had a solid outing with 23 points, the 13th time she’s scored at least 20 points in a game this season. But the 2024 Commissioner’s Cup winners were clicking from beyond the arc with 11 made 3-pointers, six of which came in the first quarter.
Saturday was the first time Clark lost in the state of Minnesota since she started her college career. Clark won the 2023 and 2024 Big Ten tournament titles with Iowa at Target Center, posting a perfect 6-0 record when playing inside the arena. Combined with the three road games against Minnesota in her college career, she went 9-0 in the state since she put on a Hawkeyes uniform. She moved to 10-0 when Indiana beat the Lynx on July 14, but the winning streak finally came to a halt Saturday night.
The first quarter was shaky for Indiana and Clark; the team was 0-for-7 from 3-point land in the first 10 minutes while the Fever’s star rookie was 1-for-8 from the field. Meanwhile, Minnesota was knocking down shots at will with six made 3-pointers to build out a 13-point lead.
It was a completely different Fever team in the second quarter. It felt like Indiana couldn’t miss anything. Clark started to heat up and the Fever ended the half on a 21-9 run, capped off by a signature Clark 3-pointer in the final seconds to make it a one-point game at halftime.
Minnesota stretched the lead back to double-digits in the third quarter. The Lynx scored on their first five possessions of the quarter and started the second half on a 16-5 run.
Indiana tried to close the gap for the remainder of the game, cutting the deficit to as little as three points. But Minnesota countered with its own run, pushing the lead to as much as 15 points, to prevent the comeback. The Lynx led for all but the first minute-and-a-half of the game.
Minnesota’s Napheesa Collier finished the night as the leading scorer with 31 points.
Caitlin Clark stats
Clark finished the night with 23 points on 8-for-18 shooting, including 3-for-8 from 3-point land. She also had eight assists, five rebounds, one steal and seven turnovers. Her best quarter was the second, when she had nine points (four of her five shot attempts in the frame went in).
Indiana’s next game is Monday night on the road against the Atlanta Dream.