The Indiana Fever have adjusted without Caitlin Clark and will take a season-best four-game winning streak into Sunday’s road game against the Seattle Storm.
The Fever earned an 88-78 road victory over the Dallas Wings on Friday when they asserted themselves just before and after halftime to take a 70-57 lead through three quarters.
Kelsey Mitchell scored 23 points for Indiana (16-12), while Natasha Howard tied a career high with 16 rebounds and had 11 points. Aliyah Boston scored 12 points with 11 rebounds. Starting in place of Clark, Aari McDonald scored 15 points with six assists.
“For us, we have to make sure to keep patting her on the back because this is a big position to fill,” Mitchell said of McDonald. “I think she is doing unbelievably well.”
In their only other meeting with the Storm this season, the Fever earned a 94-86 victory at Seattle on June 24 when Clark was held to a season-low six points on 3-of-13 shooting (0 of 6 from 3-point range).
Clark went on to miss the next five games with a groin injury, including the Commissioner’s Cup championship game, then returned for four games but has now missed the last six with the same injury.
The Storm (16-12) return to the court following a tough 108-106 double-overtime loss to the Los Angeles Sparks at home Friday. Nneka Ogwumike scored 37 points for Seattle, while becoming just the sixth player to reach 7,000 in WNBA history.
Ogwumike added 12 rebounds, while Skylar Diggins had 18 points but was unable to convert as the second overtime ended. Erica Wheeler scored 15 points, Gabby Williams had 14 points and Ezi Magbegor contributed 11 rebounds with five blocked shots.
Seattle has now dropped three of its last four home games.
“We can’t get this one back, we can’t get Friday night back,” Storm head coach Noelle Quinn said of the disappointing defeat. “Our preparation is Indiana. Focusing on the day, where are feet are (and) getting ready to attack a team that’s playing at a high level.”
The teams are tied for the fifth best record in the WNBA, with the Fever holding the tiebreaker advantage.
–Field Level Media
