INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Caitlin Clark started fast and finished with 29 points and 10 assists while Kelsey Mitchell scored 28 points to help the Indiana Fever fend off a furious second-half rally from the Phoenix Mercury for a critical 98-89 victory on Friday night.
In the first game since the Olympic break, Mitchell made six 3-pointers and Clark had four as the Fever celebrated the restart of the WNBA season by adding another twist to the budding rivalry between Clark and three-time league champion Diana Taurasi.
Indiana swept the three-game season series with Phoenix as Clark tallied the 10th double-double of her rookie season.
Kahleah Copper, one of Phoenix’s three U.S. Olympic gold medalists, led the Mercury with 32 points and eight rebounds. The other two — Taurasi and Brittney Griner — finished with 16 points and 10 points, respectively, after scoring just 12 combined in the first half.
DREAM 83, STORM 81
COLLEGE PARK, Ga. (AP) — Rhyne Howard scored a season-high 30 points, Allisha Gray added 19 and Tina Charles scored in the post with 1.1 seconds left to help Atlanta beat Seattle to snap an eight-game losing streak.
Charles finished with 16 points and Jordin Canada scored 10 points — all in the fourth quarter — to go with eight assists and three steals for Atlanta (8-17) in the first game back for both teams following a monthlong break due to the Paris Olympics.
Seattle entered the fourth quarter with a 60-55 lead, but Atlanta went on a 12-5 run to go ahead 67-65 with 5:37 to play. The Dream maintained a lead until Jewell Loyd hit a contested fall-away 3-pointer in front of the Seattle bench to make it 81-all with 4.6 seconds left. Loyd’s tying shot came after she chased down a miss from Skylar Diggins-Smith.
The Dream called timeout to move the ball into the frontcourt and Charles caught the inbounds pass on the left block, faced the basket and pulled up for a short jumper to give Atlanta the win.
