After a whirlwind year of non-stop basketball, at the collegiate and pro level, Caitlin Clark’s historic rookie season has now come to an end and she gets to catch her breath and exhale.
Embed from Getty Images and the Connecticut Sun made quick work of their first-round playoff series against Clark and the Indiana Fever on Wednesday night with a 2-0 sweep. The Sun fought hard in a nip-and-tuck battle in the final minutes to hold on to an 87-81 victory over the Fever at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, in Game 2 of the series.
The win, which followed a 24-point drubbing in Game 1 on Sunday afternoon, pushed the Sun into the semifinals for a sixth consecutive season. They will now take on Napheesa Collier and the Minnesota Lynx in the next round which begin Sunday, September 29. As for Clark and the Fever, who were making their first playoff appearance since 2016, under the leadership of Hall of Famer Tamika Catching, they will now pack their bags and head home to Indianapolis.
The Sun led by 11 points early in the final frame, but they relaxed every so slightly and opened the door for Clark and Indiana to rally and briefly take the lead late in the quarter, which came after a crucial 3-pointer from Clark.
Embed from Getty Images2023 Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston had a massive double-double, with 16 points and 19 rebounds. Her bunny, with 2:05 left on the clock, gave the Fever a 77-75 advantage but 37-year-old veteran DeWanna Bonner, who was playing in her WNBA record tying 82nd playoff game to match Lindsay Whalen, who use to play for the Sun, answered with a perimeter shot of her own 14 seconds later.
However, the Fever’s never say die attitude eventually ran out of steam. The Fever went ice cold and made just two buckets in the final two minutes of the game, both of which were layups, and both Bonner and Marina Mabrey, who was traded to the Sun mid-way through the season from the Chicago Sky, added 3-pointers to give the Sun the lead once again. From that point, they went on to grab the six-point win and secure their spot in the semifinals.
Clark finished with 25 points, nine assists and six rebounds in the loss. She shot 10-of-23 from the field and 3-of-12 from the great beyond. She is also just the second rookie in league history, joining Lynx Maya Moore, to drop 25 points, five assists and five rebounds in a playoff game. Kelsey Mitchell finished with 17 points. Boston, Mitchell and Clark were the only three players to reach double figures for Indiana.
“Obviously it’s a tough one, especially as we climbed all the way back in and just to have our opportunities late,” Clark said.
Thomas led the Sun with 19 points and 13 dimes, which came after she dropped a triple-double in Game 1. Mabrey added 17 points, and Bonner finished with 15 points and eight boards.
“Finally locked in and took advantage of homecourt advantage,” said Thomas, who had a triple-double in the Game 1 win. “We’re ready. Tested tonight and it wasn’t pretty, but that’s the nature of playoffs. We pulled out a gutsy win. We’re hungry and ready. … We’re ready for what the playoff journey is going to unfold.”
