The Indiana Fever were triumphant in their battle with the Phoenix Mercury, coming back from behind to win 88-82 in front of a soldout Footprint Center on Sunday.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!With a packed crowd of 17,071 fans from both teams filling the upper and lower bowls, a majority of them showed up for Fever rookie sensation Caitlin Clark who has taken the basketball world by storm.
While the Mercury fans outweighed the Fever faithful, it was the first time this season that Phoenix heard a loud roar from the opposition on almost every possession. Â There were many fans from a variety of different age groups wearing Indiana jerseys with Clark and her No. 22 on their backs.
An Indiana Fever fan holding up a sign with Caitlin Clark’s No. 22 jersey at Footprint Center in Phoenix.
After the Mercury were up 49-38 at halftime, a switch was flipped by the Fever who overcame the physicality that Phoenix was imposing and stayed determined to get back into the game. Indiana created a 27-2 run in the third quarter and outscored the Mercury 50-33 in the second half.
Just a rebound shy of her first-ever WNBA triple-double, Clark demonstrated her superstardom with crisp playmaking and a seamless shooting stroke. The former Iowa star scored 15 points, had 12 assists and collected nine rebounds against the Mercury.
Every arena she steps into – no matter if a game is in Indiana or elsewhere – is always packed, showing just how much of an influence she has had on the WNBA since being drafted. As the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft, she has had high expectations of becoming a star since leaving college and she has done just that. She is averaging 16.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game in 19 games.
Just the mention of her name gravitates people to millions of social media views and impressions, becoming one of the most popular athletes in all of sports. The media presence in each city she visits is substantial, unlike any other team in the league.
Realizing how much of the spotlight has been on Clark in just a short amount of time with the Fever, Mercury superstar Diana Taurasi gave Clark her props for how she has changed the composition of Indiana.
“She has done a lot for the Indiana Fever,” Taurasi said. “It’s a team for the last couple of years that is trying to get back to their glory days of Tamika Catchings and putting up banners. Obviously what I think she has done nationally for the game has been pretty incredible. Whenever you have that momentum coming out of college and eyes on you for four years straight, I think what she is doing for that team is pretty impressive and whenever I think of her, I think of her team.”
"I think nationally for the game has been incredible."
When asked about how big of an impact Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark (@CaitlinClark22) has had on women's basketball, Diana Taurasi praised her for how she has helped her team.#ValleyTogether #WNBA #FeverRising pic.twitter.com/y146AXuDS1
— Burn City Mercury (@BurnCityMercury) June 30, 2024
Indiana started the season 1-7 and as the players have gotten accustomed to each other, they are 6-4 in their last 10 games and are the No. 8 seed in the WNBA.
Creating this turnaround with the likes of NaLyssa Smith and Aliyah Boston among others, Clark is at the forefront of the resurgent Fever who were 13-27 a season ago. Since 2017, Indiana has not made the playoffs and has just one championship (2012) in franchise history.
With the pieces starting to come together and the youthful skill that they possess, the Fever are going to be an intriguing team to watch for years to come.
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Reporter Alec Cipollini covers ASU Athletics, the Phoenix Mercury and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @AlecCipollini
