Aliyah Boston had 20 points and 16 rebounds, Caitlin Clark added 22 points and nine assists in her return from a one-game absence, and the Indiana Fever defeated the Golden State Valkyries 90-82 on Friday night in Indianapolis.
Kelsey Mitchell added 19 points and Sophie Cunningham scored 11 for the Fever (4-2).
Tiffany Hayes scored 19 points, fellow reserve Kaitlyn Chen had 18, Veronica Burton had 17 and Kayla Thornton 10 to lead the Valkyries (3-2).
Lexie Hull made a 3-pointer, Boston followed with a jumper and Clark hit two free throws to pull the Fever within one point at the outset of the third quarter.
Hayes hit a 3-pointer, but Cunningham made a free throw and Clark added a 3-pointer to even the score at 48. Chen’s 3-pointer gave Golden State the lead, but Clark’s three-point play pushed Indiana ahead 53-52.
The lead changed hands twice more before Boston made a jumper and a 3-pointer to help the Fever open a 62-56 lead. The Valkyries got within two before Raven Johnson made a 3-pointer to help Indiana hold a 66-61 lead at the end of the quarter.
Boston and Johnson made consecutive layups to start the fourth-quarter scoring and extend the lead to nine. Hayes made a jumper, but Clark answered with a 3-pointer that gave the Fever a 73-63 lead.
Golden State crept within four with two minutes remaining, but Indiana made four free throws for an 88-80 lead with 41 seconds left.
Clark showed no ill effects from the back soreness that kept her out on Wednesday. She started the game with an assist, a field goal and a 3-pointer to give the Fever a 7-0 lead. The Valkyries scored the next seven points, and moments later, Thornton’s 3-pointer gave them their first lead at 10-9.
The lead changed hands four more times and the score was tied at 15 before Indiana held a 19-18 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The lead changed hands twice more at the start of the second quarter before Golden State scored nine straight points to grab a 29-21 lead. Indiana crept within three before the Valkyries pushed the margin to seven on three occasions, the last being 44-37 at halftime.
–Field Level Media
