Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell both put on a masterclass by combining for 57 points as the duo guided the Indiana Fever to a 98-89 win over the Phoenix Mercury on Friday evening.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Clark recorded a double-double (29 points, 10 rebounds), Mitchell notched 28 points and the Fever (12-15) took the regular-season series, sweeping the Mercury 3-0. Just a rebound shy of two more Indiana double-doubles, Aliyah Boston tallied 14 points and NaLyssa Smith pitched in with 13 while they both finished with nine rebounds a piece.
Kahleah Copper scored 32 points and collected eight rebounds for the Mercury (14-13). Natasha Cloud had 19 points and Diana Taurasi added 16 in the loss.
Clark, Mitchell shine in Fever’s dominant first half
After the Mercury outscored the Chicago Sky 30-12 in the first quarter during their 85-65 win on Friday, the second half of a back-to-back started completely different for Phoenix. The Fever surged early with a 33-16 lead after the first as Clark busted out the gate with 13 points in the quarter.
Erupting in an offensive explosion, Clark (16), Mitchell (12), Smith (11) and Boston (10) all reached double-digit points with time to spare in the first half. Clark showcased her elite court vision and playmaking skill with four assists in the first quarter alone and was just able to get 10 in the waning moments of the game.
“Obviously Caitlin is an unbelievable passer and Kelsey shot the heck out of it,” Phoenix Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts said. “I thought Caitlin made good plays looking for Kelsey, I am not sure how she was getting open. We’ll have to look at that.”
But just before the Fever thought they could cruise with a 25-plus point lead, the Mercury sparked a late 11-2 run in the second quarter off of Cloud connecting on a pair of 3-pointers. Phoenix shot 11-for-31 (31.4%) from the field and 6-for-22 (27.3%) from three at halftime.
Mercury show resiliency, Fever close game out
The last time these two teams faced off against each other, the Mercury had just six players available for selection after having five injuries including Brittney Griner who was ruled out during the matchup. On July 12, the Fever were up by as much as 31 before Copper fought back with 34 points and Phoenix fell by just nine, 95-86.
A little over a month later, the resiliency and no-quit attitude from Phoenix saw them come back once again with a vengeance.
Powered by Copper with 12 points in the third quarter, the Mercury surged with a 25-7 run and took a 62-61 lead. Following a 29-point performance vs. the Sky and a few days after winning an Olympic gold medal, Copper’s momentum rolled into Indiana.
“I guess that gold medal game has given her confidence,” Tibbetts said. “We need her to be aggressive, to look for her own, but looking to share [the ball]. Looking to the weak side. She had six assists tonight which is good. We’ll watch the film with her and I am sure she will find opportunities to look to the weak side even more because teams are going to continue to load up on her. She has been fantastic and we are going to need that from her.”
“She has been fantastic and we are going to need that from her.”
Our @AlecCipollini asked Phoenix Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts about Kahleah Copper and how she has had two straight games with 29-plus points after the Olympic break.#ValleyTogether #WNBA #FeverRising pic.twitter.com/nNsO4A2H6W
— Burn City Mercury (@BurnCityMercury) August 17, 2024
Tensions flared when Cloud and Mitchell got into a scuffle seconds after Cloud was trying to defend the Fever star. Mitchell then shoved Cloud before the two guards jawed at each other and had to be separated.
Kelsey Mitchell and Natasha Cloud getting a little chippy ???? pic.twitter.com/S0cArJCoFM
— Heavens! (@HeavensFX) August 17, 2024
Seeing the momentum slip between their grasp, the Fever went on a 12-3 run to end the third frame, including a buzzer-beating three by Katie Lou Samuelson, to restore their lead 73-65.
“I think just buying into the defensive end especially when the shots aren’t falling for us coming off of a back-to-back,” Cloud said about what caused her team’s pushback. “Obviously the legs aren’t always going to be in it. When we are missing shots, we still have to play on the other end of the floor.”
From there, Indiana would pull away, Mercury would answer and the Fever got over the finish line off of a 3-point shoutout in the latter half of the game. Both teams went an identical 14-for-36 (38.9%) from deep overall.
“In the first half, we were disappointed with how we showed up,” Cloud said. “It just is what it is, we didn’t play our best basketball. In the second half, we did a better job, but it was just not enough. We have scorers in every position on offense. If we aren’t going to get stops on defense, we’re not going to win games.”
“If we aren’t going to get stops on defense, we aren’t going to win games.”
Phoenix Mercury G Natasha Cloud (@T_Cloud4) believes the team has the scorers in every position, but defense will be the key going forward.#ValleyTogether #WNBA #FeverRising pic.twitter.com/MmkhfDS8Jr
— Burn City Mercury (@BurnCityMercury) August 17, 2024
Next Games
Mercury: Home vs. Chicago Sky (10-15) | Aug. 18 | 6 p.m. PT
Fever: Home vs. Seattle Storm (17-8) | Aug. 18 | 12:30 p.m. PT
Mercury don’t re-sign rookie guard before deadline, heads to WNBA title contender
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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
