The big ones always answer.
Caitlin Clark wrestled in her first WNBA playoff game last Sunday: 11 points on 4-of-17 shooting, including 2-of-13 from 3, and Indiana was blown out. How would Clark respond with her team facing elimination.
Clark finished Game 2 with 25 points, nine assists and six rebounds — she’s back. As the greats always do.
It wasn’t enough.
Connecticut’s depth and stifling defense again proved too much — especially in the clutch when Connecticut got stops and hit three straight 3-pointers — and the Sun advanced with an 87-81 victory.
That win advances Connecticut to the semifinals starting this weekend – this is six straight years the Sun have reached at least the semifinals, an impressive streak of high-level consistency. The game sends Clark and the Fever home until next year (leaving the playoffs without a home game). Clark previously said that because the college season runs almost directly into the WNBA season, she hasn’t had a real break for about a year and she won’t be playing competitively this winter. After the game, she said she didn’t know what her plans were.
The Fever entered this postseason with five starters who had never started a WNBA playoff game before. Indiana learned some hard lessons against Connecticut, which is a threat to advance, possibly all the way to the Finals, because of their league-best defense.
It was also a learning curve for Caitlin Clark — Connecticut threw different defensive looks at her all night, different defenders and systems, and it was a chess match for her trying to figure it out.
To her credit, even when her 3s weren’t falling (3-of-12) she found a way to impact the offense, her Clark’s drives and passing leading the Fever offense Wednesday night. However, she and back-row mate Kelsey Mitchell played a full 40 minutes – not one break – and it started to show late as they both seemed a little gassed.
It also felt like a playoff game, with things getting a little shaky between Clark and DeWanna Bonner (Clark also bit a fan in the first quarter, one safety went and talked).
Clark hit her first open 3 of the game, but it was tight early as Indiana opened the game 4-of-12 shooting, Connecticut 1-of-12, which allowed the Fever to open an early nine-point lead.
However, it didn’t take long for Connecticut to stop with its league-best defense, get some transition buckets and Mabry 3, and continue an 11-0 run that not only got them the lead, but had them up 17. -14 after one quarter.
That run stretched to 20-2 as the swarming but disciplined Sun defense began to frustrate the Fever – Connecticut had the lead up to double digits midway through the second.
The Sun led 41-34 at the half despite shooting just 36.6% (the Fever was at 32.4%). Marina Mabrey led a balanced Sun attack with nine points at the half, while Clark had 14 on 5-of-12 shooting to lead the Fever.
Fever came out in third and scored seven straight to tie it, with Clark scoring or assisting on every point. Indiana even took the lead midway through the third on a Hull transition layup.
This is where Connecticut’s depth, defense and finish came in – they endured the run, continued to play their game, and by the end of the third quarter the Sun were back nine, 61-52.
That’s when Indiana went on a 12-2 run, and when Clark drained a layup 3 with 3:58 left the Fever took a 71-70 lead.
From there on in, it was Connecticut’s clutch play and defense that was the difference. Alyssa Thomas also stepped up the way the five-time All-Star does and led the Sun with 19 points, while Marina Mabrey added 17 including the dagger.
The Sun was simply the better team of this series and deserves to advance. They can play with anyone in the W.
The future is bright for Indiana – all the greats have had to learn how to win at the highest level, and wait for the right team to be built around them. True about Jordan, LeBron, Curry and everyone else.
You can add Clark to that list.
Fever fans should be excited about the future.
