Catilin Clark had a career-high 31 points and added 12 assists as the visiting Indiana Fever knocked off Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky on Friday 100-81 in this season’s final regular-season game between the WNBA’s top rookies.
Reese posted 10 points and 11 rebounds, setting a WNBA rookie record and Sky franchise record with her 23rd double-double of the season. Reese also set a record for most rebounds by a rookie in WNBA history with 399.
Chicago (11-20) has lost five of its last six, while Indiana (16-16) has won five of its last six. Kelsey Mitchell scored 23 points for the Fever, who took three of four meetings with the Sky.
The 100 points was the most scored by the Fever this season.
Indiana, who started 1-8, is tied for sixth in the WNBA standings, while the Sky are eighth. The top eight teams make the playoffs.
Both teams began the game at a frantic pace. The Sky, the worst three-point shooting team in the WNBA, started out hot, sinking their first four 3-point shots, including two by Christina Allen, and grabbed a 24-11 lead with 4:18 to play in the first.
But the Fever responded quickly and decisively. The Sky went more than five minutes without a point bridging the first and second quarters as Clark made her presence felt with back-to-back 3s, putting Indiana ahead 29-26. After a 33-33 tie, Indiana led the rest of the way.
Indiana closed the final 6:06 of the half on a 14-9 run, with Mitchell finishing with 18 points in the half. Clark, who hit five 3-pointers in the game, had 15 points and seven assists in the first half.
Indiana led by 14 at the end of the third quarter, its biggest lead to that point, and the advantage grew in the fourth.
It was the biggest margin of victory for either team in the four meetings. The Fever won by a point on June 1 and eight points on June 16, while the Sky won by one point on June 23.
The Sky were without leading scorer Chennedy Carter, who missed her second straight game because of health and safety protocols.
–Field Level Media