Once again, the Connecticut Sun shined too brightly for Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever.
The Sun throttled the Fever 89-72 Monday night in Uncasville, Connecticut, in a game that was reminiscent of the teams’ first meeting in the WNBA season opener on May 14. The Sun won that game 92-71 despite 20 points from Clark, but the third meeting between the teams went no better for the Fever and was decidedly worse for the league’s No. 1 overall pick.
Just three days after Clark tied her season high in scoring (30 points) and set a new season high for 3-pointers made (7) in a win over the Mystics, she scored just 10 points on 3-for-8 shooting against the Sun in a game in which she was limited because of foul trouble and was largely over at halftime. Clark also had just two assists Monday night and did not record a rebound for the first time since that season opener against Connecticut.
Clark, who has been the subject of fierce discussion after news emerged that she would not play for Team USA in the 2024 Paris Olympics, picked up her fourth foul midway through the third quarter and remained on the bench for the rest of the game. She was joined by most of the Fever starters — aside from Aliyah Boston — when Connecticut increased its lead to a game-high 28 points before the Indiana reserves cut into the lead in the fourth quarter.
Boston led the Fever with 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Lexie Hull added 10 points and four rebounds off the bench as Indiana fell to 3-10.
Sun forward Alyssa Thomas, who is expected to be announced as a member of the 2024 U.S. Olympic team, had just seven points but pulled down 18 rebounds, while DiJonai Carrington scored a career-high 22 points for Connecticut, which improved to 3-0 against Indiana in 2024 and a league-best 10-1 this season.
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Clark scored five points in the opening quarter as the Sun jumped out to 26-15 lead. She scored her first basket on a driving layup one minute and 32 seconds into the game. She hit her first 3-pointer at the 5:08 mark and went 2-for-4 in the first quarter.
Clark played the first minute of the second quarter and did not take a shot before heading to the bench. She re-entered at the 5:47 mark and promptly hit her second three of the game shortly after that. Less than a minute later, Clark hit her first two free throws of the contest.
But the final couple of minutes of the half were rough for the Fever rookie. Clark picked up two quick personal fouls, then, with Indiana in position to take the final shot of the half, Carrington picked her pocket then raced down court for a lay-in at the buzzer as the Sun took a 55-35 lead into the locker room.
While Clark ended the half with 10 points on 3-of-6 shooting, the Sun outplayed the Fever in nearly every category. Connecticut outrebounded Indiana 18 to 9, and their 61.3 field goal percentage was the best in the half this season, as was their 18 assists. The Fever, meanwhile, shot 43.3% and tallied eight assists, with Clark only dishing one.