The Indiana Fever looked like a fresh team after the WNBA’s Paris Olympic break, winning their second straight game after a 92–75 home victory over the Seattle Storm on Sunday.
Kelsey Mitchell scored 27 points (5-of-8 3-pointers), Kaitlyn Clark added 23 and Lexi Hull added 22 (3-of-6 shooting-3-of-7 shooting) as guard play was the key difference in the Fever’s victory. Aliyah Boston grabbed 15 rebounds for Indiana, which improved to 13-15 on the season (8-5 locally).
Clarke picked up her 225th career assist in the second quarter of the game, breaking the record set by a rookie in WNBA history in 1998, Ticha Beniceiro. (Although there are conflicting figures on how many assists Beniceiro recorded for the record — the WNBA says 224, while ESPN says 225 — Clark accomplished the feat regardless.)
“Ticha has been my biggest fan ever since I was in college, always there to congratulate me or give me advice,” Clark said. A post-game interview With ESPN’s Holly Rowe. “To pass someone like her, I’m forever grateful that she was a legend in our sport.”
After Clark broke the record, Fever posted a video from Benciro on social media.
“I’m always impressed with your passing, your court vision and how you make your teammates better,” Beniceiro said. “So this record is in great hands and keep doing what you’re doing, keep elevating your game and the women’s game and the WNBA.”
In addition to his 23 points, the rookie standout finished with nine assists, five rebounds and two blocks. Clarke leads the WNBA in assists with an average of 8.3 per game.
Both teams got off to a slow start, with Seattle leading 17-13 in a low-scoring first quarter. But Indiana battled back in the second, regaining the lead in the final minutes of the half and taking a 35-34 lead into the locker room.
The Storm, who have struggled with 3-pointers this season, got off to a solid start from beyond the arc, going 4-of-6 in the first quarter and 5-of-12 at halftime. The Fever, meanwhile, struggled more from 3: They went 0-6 on 3-pointers to start the game and finished 3-of-13 from 3-pointers in the first half before Mitchell broke through in the second quarter. Both teams made less than 50% of their field goals.
The Fever came out strong in the second half, going on an 8-2 run to start the third quarter that included a pair of big 3s from Mitchell and Clark. But the Storm pulled back to rebuild things midway through the quarter and held Indiana from holding the lead for long. The Fever entered the final frame with a narrow 59-58 lead and outscored Seattle 33-17 in the fourth.
Jewel Lloyd led Seattle with 26 points, while Nneka Ogwumike finished with 14 points, nine rebounds, three assists and four steals, dominating on both ends of the court. Ezi Magbegor contributed nine points, seven rebounds and five blocks. The Storm fell to 17-10 (6-7 on the road), third in the Western Conference and fifth in the league.
The Fever get almost a week off, with their next game on Saturday against the Minnesota Lynx at 8pm ET. The Storm wrap up their road trip at the Washington Mystics on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET.
