Caitlin Clark appeared refreshed after a month off for the WNBA Olympic break. The Phoenix Mercury’s three U.S. Olympic team members struggled to keep up with her on Friday night.
Clark scored 13 of her 29 points in the first quarter, also adding 10 assists and four 3-pointers. She helped the Indiana Fever resist a strong second-half comeback by Phoenix, leading to a crucial 98-89 win to restart the season.
“You knew they were going to come in here with a lot of confidence, with three people that have won gold medals,” said Clark, who was not included in the Olympic roster. “You know their confidence is really high and I thought we came out and really set the tone.”
Clark wasn’t the only standout. Kelsey Mitchell made six 3-pointers and ended with 28 points, while Aliyah Boston outperformed Brittney Griner with 14 points and nine rebounds.
The Fever completed a sweep of the three-game season series, adding to the growing rivalry between Clark and three-time WNBA champion Diana Taurasi.
The tension started in April when Taurasi predicted Clark, the No. 1 overall draft pick, would have a tough first pro season. This week, Phoenix fueled the rivalry with a Twitter video featuring a young fan asking, “Who’s Caitlin? I’m here for Taurasi.”
During the game, there were two brief scuffles, including one between Mitchell and the Mercury’s Natasha Cloud that resulted in double technical fouls. The other involved Griner and Boston.
Whether it was Indiana (12-15) being motivated by the chance to play against three Olympians, aiming for their first season sweep since 2020, or the Mercury (14-13) dealing with fatigue from the Paris Games and two road games in two days, Taurasi and her teammates didn’t perform their best early on.
This led to the Mercury falling behind 48-20 midway through the second quarter.
“I think you can see it in their faces, you know, they’re tired,” Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts said. “There’s going to be better days, for sure. We’ve just got to understand these games are going to come quick here, but I know all three of them are ready to sleep in their own beds.”
