Caitlin Clark’s Final Box Score Stats, Highlights as Fever Beat Sky With Sophie Cunningham Out
It took overtime, but the Indiana Fever are now officially on a winning streak.
Indiana won its second game in a row with a 114-106 victory over the Chicago Sky in Thursday’s WNBA Commissioner’s Cup game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell combined for 85 points to lead the way with Sophie Cunningham sidelined with an elbow injury.
It seemed as if the Fever were going to let the win slip away when they turned the ball over with five seconds remaining in regulation and allowed a game-tying three from Skylar Diggins, but Boston dominated the extra period.
The Fever are now 7-5, while the Sky fell to 4-9 with their third consecutive loss in an injury-marred season with headline players such as Rickea Jackson, Courtney Vandersloot and DiJonai Carrington all sidelined.
Sydney Taylor did what she could with 30 points off the bench, but it wasn’t enough to snap the losing streak.
Indiana was expected to be a title contender this season with Clark leading the way but instead has dealt with inconsistency and some discourse about head coach Stephanie White’s status and her relationship with the star guard.
A home game against an injured Sky team figured to be a golden opportunity to establish more of that missing consistency, and the Fever responded with the expected urgency out of the gates as they built a commanding 19-point lead early in the second quarter.
Clark was unstoppable as Indiana built that lead with a deep three-pointer, fadeaway in the lane and an assist to a cutting Boston. She darted through the Chicago defense and either scored herself if additional defenders didn’t come or facilitated to teammates when they did.
However, the Sky didn’t go away with Taylor providing a much-needed spark off the bench and Jacy Sheldon dialing up the pressure on both ends of the floor. The visitors cut the halftime deficit to just six with the pair flipping the momentum after Indiana’s dominant start.
That momentum didn’t go anywhere as the Sky poured in 39 points in a dominant third quarter to seize the lead. While Indiana grew frustrated with the officiating with Clark and White each picking up technicals, Taylor took over with a combination of outside shooting, pressure defense and drives to the basket.
She entered play averaging just 7.4 points per game but had 25 heading into the fourth with a brilliant individual display.
But Indiana doubled her at times and did its best to get the ball out of her hands in the fourth quarter. That, along with Boston dominating in the paint as Kamilla Cardoso fouled out, helped the Fever take the lead.
There were multiple highlight plays as the home team established control. Clark mixed in a beautiful pass to Boston after weaving her way through the defense, while Myisha Hines-Allen fired up the crowd with a block of Sheldon in transition.
Still, all those highlights meant nothing when the Fever broke down in the final seconds of regulation with the turnover and failure to prevent Diggins from draining the triple.
Fortunately for the Fever, they controlled overtime and will look to build on their performance when they hit the road to face the Connecticut Sun on Saturday.
