Caitlin Clark beat three U.S. Olympic gold medalists in her WNBA return Friday night, but the Indiana Fever blew a 28-point lead at one point in their win over the Phoenix Mercury.
Clark was sensational in the first half and came off the court in a rush after her month-long break from the league due to the Paris Games. But the 98-89 victory did not reflect how tense the game was at times for her team.
At halftime, Clark had scored 16 points and at one point the Fever had a 48-20 lead over Mercury. But in the third quarter, Mercury, led by Kahleah Copper, overturned the deficit and even took a one-point lead.
But Clark and the Fever rallied to pull off what could be a crucial playoff win, bringing their record to 12-15 on the season.
And Clark, who finished with 29 points, also set another record on her way to victory: She became the first rookie in WNBA history to record 450+ PTS and 200+ AST.
Caitlin Clark scored 29 points and Indiana Fever returned to the WNBA with a victory
Clark led the Fever to a 98-89 victory over the Phoenix Mercury at a sold-out Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Copper, Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi won gold in Paris on Sunday alone and were back in action Thursday night when they beat Chicago Sky and Angel Reese.
But they refused to give up on Fever in a stunning final quarter that turned into a penalty shootout.
Clark also recorded her 10th double-double of the season as her team swept the three-game series with Phoenix in front of a sellout crowd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse that had waited more than a month to see its star player back in action.
“We were amazing, we had some mistakes that we didn’t like very much, but we always found a way to respond,” Clark said afterwards.
“This sets the tone for what we want to do for the rest of the season, to win everything. We have to go one by one and on Sunday we have another big game.”
As good as Clark was, credit must also go to Kelsey Mitchell, who provided fantastic support for Clark in the Fever attack with 28 points of her own.
Clark joked that she was a little rusty after a month off, although it didn’t show.
“I asked for a substitution after six minutes and, to be honest, I thought, ‘Oh my God,'” Clark said. “I thought I needed a quick minute because we were playing fast and my defense wasn’t that good.”
The Fever will play the Seattle Storm in Indiana on Sunday, and Clark and her team will look to keep the momentum going.
For the Mercury, they will have a much-needed day of rest before the return match against Reese and Chicago.
Both Clark and Reese are locked in a battle for Rookie of the Year honors in their first WNBA seasons.
Reese set her own franchise record with the Chicago Sky on Thursday night, surpassing Sylvia Fowles’ offensive rebound total from 2013 (117).
But after leading Indiana to another crucial victory in the battle to make the playoffs, Clark is the one in control.