INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Caitlin Clark posted the first triple-double by a rookie in WNBA history to help rally Indiana to an 83-78 victory over New York on Saturday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, snapping the Fever’s nine-game losing streak to the Liberty.
Clark finished with 19 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds for Indiana (9-13). The No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft was one rebound shy of a triple-double two games ago in an 88-82 road victory over the Phoenix Mercury.
Clark had 11 points in the first quarter, making 3 of 4 from 3-point range. She topped double figures in assists in the third quarter and passed the 10-rebound mark in the fourth.
Clark had a three-point play and Kelsey Mitchell followed with a 3-pointer to tie the game at 75 with 2:31 to go. Aliyah Boston scored off a steal by Mitchell to give Indiana a two-point lead and Lexie Hull’s reverse layup increased the lead to 79-75 at the 1:24 mark.
New York’s Sabrina Ionescu answered with a 3-pointer but missed one the next time down the court with a chance to give the Liberty the lead. Boston made two free throws with 17 seconds left and Mitchell hit two with 11 seconds remaining to wrap up the upset.
Boston scored 18 points on 8-for-12 shooting and had eight rebounds for the Fever. Mitchell scored 14, topping double figures for the ninth-straight game. NaLyssa Smith, the second overall pick in the 2022 draft, added 12 points and 11 rebounds for her fifth double-double this season.
LYNX 74, MYSTICS 67
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Courtney Williams and Kayla McBride scored 17 points apiece to help Minnesota beat Washington without three-time All-Star Napheesa Collier.
Collier, who is set to play for Team USA in Paris this summer and leads the Lynx with averages of 20 points and 10.2 rebounds per game this season, aggravated the plantar fasciitis in her left foot Thursday in the team’s 78-73 home loss against the Connecticut Sun.
Jade Melbourne made a driving layup that cut Washington’s deficit to 67-64 with 5:50 to play but the Mystics made just 1 of 10 from the field and committed four turnovers the rest of the way. Bridget Carleton answered with a 3-pointer and it was a two-possession game the rest of the way.
Minnesota (15-6) had lost back-to-back games for the first time this season against the WNBA-leading New York Liberty and second-place Connecticut.
Carleton finished with 13 points, including three 3s, and Cecilia Zandalasini scored 10 points for the Lynx.
Ariel Atkins and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, who hit four 3-pointers, led Washington (5-17) with 15 points apiece. Myisha Hines-Allen added 11 points, 11 rebounds and six assists and Aaliyah Edwards scored 10.
The Associated Press
