INDIANAPOLIS — Iowa's own Caitlin Clark delivered another signature performance Friday night, pouring in 29 points to lead the Indiana Fever past Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings, 98-87, in a clash between the last two No. 1 overall WNBA draft picks.
Clark, the former University of Iowa superstar, added 10 assists for her seventh game this season with at least 25 points and 10 assists. That total surpasses what any player in league history has accomplished in an entire career. She now holds the career record with 13 such games.
“She's like a maestro, the way that she really runs our offense,” Fever coach Stephanie White said. “I think when we're at our best, she is instructing, she is running it much like a show, and it's tough to match up with us when she's commanding the floor like that.”
Indiana guard Ty Harris added: “I'm in awe watching CC play. Sometimes it's like, it's normal [what she's doing], and it's not.”
Clark and Bueckers trade blows in third quarter
The first half was tight, with Dallas leading 37-35 at the break as both teams struggled from beyond the arc, combining for 6-of-31 shooting from 3-point range. But Clark and Bueckers took over in the third quarter, trading baskets in front of a sellout crowd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The two stars combined for 30 points on 11-for-15 shooting in the period, including 3-for-5 from deep.
“When you've got two great players that can create shots for themselves really easily, there are flows of the game where I think you're going to see that,” White said. “We see it in the NBA all the time. I think that as players keep getting better, we're seeing it in the W as well. It was fun to watch for a little while. I just thought it was two great players making great plays.”
Clark scored or assisted on 51% of the Fever's points. Bueckers, who finished with six assists and six rebounds, was nearly identical, scoring or assisting on 50% of Dallas' points.
Fever pull away in fourth quarter
Indiana outscored Dallas 35-21 in the final frame, clamping down defensively on Bueckers after her explosive third quarter.
“Paige is a tremendous player,” Clark said. “She takes what the defense gives her. She doesn't force anything. She's smooth. She finds the open teammate. So she's just a really tough guard. With really good players, you've got to throw a lot of different things at them. They're going to make tough shots, and you live with some of them. Then I thought in the fourth quarter, we did a tremendous job of kind of taking her out of things.”
Wings coach Jose Fernandez called the second-half defensive collapse “inexcusable” after Dallas allowed 63 points after the break.
Mitchell extends historic streak
Kelsey Mitchell added 20 points for Indiana, extending her single-season WNBA record with an 18th straight game of 20 or more points. Harris chipped in 15 points off the bench on perfect 3-point shooting, and Aliyah Boston posted a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double.
The Wings have lost seven of their last 10 games and were again without Jessica Shepard (ankle) and Azzi Fudd (knee).
“In the fourth quarter, they just laid it on us,” Bueckers said. “They played more physical, they wanted it more, and that's unacceptable as a team. We have to string together 40 minutes. We don't think being down people is an excuse.”
Clark graded the Fever's performance a “B” but noted the team still found a way to win by double digits.
“We really kind of just pushed through and pushed through and pushed through,” Clark said. “It felt like we were just like waiting for the moment to unleash, and I felt like that's what we kind of got in the fourth quarter.”
Indiana (22-12) has won 10 of its past 13 games and sits in fourth place. Dallas (20-15) is in eighth. The teams meet again Thursday in Dallas.
Clark and Bueckers will share a backcourt for Team USA at the FIBA World Cup in Berlin next month.