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It marked the first outing for the Fever
(12-15) since the Olympic break as the young team resumed play
in the WNBA season after nearly a month off and continued its
hunt for a playoff berth. For the Mercury (14-13), it was the
second contest in a pair of back-to-back road games. Phoenix
topped the Chicago Sky on Thursday night.
But against the Fever, the Mercury didn't have the same sort of
luck. Their lack of defensive containment against the Fever's
backcourt was a big reason why.
In addition to Clark's performance, her 10th double-double of
the season -- which also saw the rookie grab five rebounds --
Kelsey Mitchell added a season-high-tying 28 points. In the
frontcourt, Aliyah Boston posted 14 points and nine rebounds,
while NaLyssa Smith tallied 13 points and nine rebounds.
For the Mercury, Kahleah Copper's strong play from the gold
medal game at the Paris Olympics continued as she scored 32
points, going 18-for-19 at the foul line. Natasha Cloud scored
19 points, Diana Taurasi added 16 and Brittney Griner chipped in
10.
The Fever started the game on fire, jumping out to a 30-12 lead
with less than two minutes to play in the first quarter.
Mitchell had 10 points, two rebounds and a block during that
stretch.
Indiana kept piling it on in the second quarter, increasing its
lead to 28 points with a 15-4 run that was sparked by a deep
3-pointer from Clark that Boston assisted.
The Mercury charged back in the third quarter with a 25-7 run to
take a one-point lead on a 3-pointer from Copper, assisted by
Cloud. The Fever pulled back ahead before the end of the third
frame, and then cushioned their lead to as many as 13 points in
the fourth.
Indiana won the rebounding battle by eight, had 23 assists on 34
made baskets and outscored the Mercury 34-10 in the paint.
The end result marked the first time that the Fever have beaten
the Mercury three times in the regular season as they swept the
season series.
--Field Level Media [© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
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