Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever kept rolling on Wednesday night as they beat the Washington Mystics and their star rookie tallied 18 points.
Playing in front of their home fans at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the Fever won 88-81 and improved to a 6-10 record on the season.
Clark added six assists and 12 rebounds, and even produced a defensive highlight as she picked off a pass and went the other way for an easy layup in the first half.
The former University of Iowa star, who has struggled defensively at times in the pros, also finished the game with four steals.
The Fever had started the season 1-8 but have gathered momentum of late and Clark and her teammates continue to jell.
Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark poured in 18 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in the win
Clark and her Fever teammates have won five of their last seven games after starting 1-8
‘Yeah, it’s huge when you can stack these wins,’ Clark said on NBA TV after the game.
‘That gives everybody confidence for a young group. So I think we’re starting to see our our potential and what we’re able to do.’
Clark’s teammates Aaliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell were huge in the win as they each scored 22 points.
The Mystics – who never led in the game – got 27 points from Ariel Atkins.
Wednesday’s win also represented the Fever’s fourth consecutive victory at home – the first time they’ve achieved that feat since August 2015, per the game’s NBA TV broadcast.
Clark got a massive boost from teammate Aaliyah Boston, as she scored 22 points
Clark waved to the crowd as she was introduced at the USA swimming trials the night before
On Tuesday, Clark and her Fever teammates attended the Team USA Olympic swim trials at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Of course, Clark was snubbed from the USA women’s Olympic basketball squad in a highly-controversial move when the roster was announced earlier this month.
Nonetheless, the rookie guard vowed afterwards that she’d ‘still be rooting them on to win gold,’ and showed her Olympic spirit on Tuesday.
She and Angel Reese also sent classy messages to would-be Olympian Cameron Brink, who was set to compete for the USA women’s 3×3 team before tearing her ACL on Tuesday night.
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