The Indiana Fever closed out their home schedule with a statement, blowing past the league-leading Minnesota Lynx 96-77 on Tuesday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The win came just two days after a lopsided loss to Washington, and Indiana wasted no time flipping the script. The Fever built a 23-point lead before halftime, the largest deficit the Lynx had faced all season. Minnesota was also without rookie Olivia Miles, who sat out with a calf injury.
Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve went to her bench for extended minutes in the third quarter, and the reserves clawed the deficit down to single digits before Indiana pulled away again.
Caitlin Clark came close to a triple-double, finishing with a game-high 27 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Indiana’s top three scorers — Clark, Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell — combined for 67 points. Mitchell kept up her scoring streak, hitting 20 or more points for the 27th straight game.
“I thought our third quarter was a bit sloppy,” Clark said after the win. “You’ve got to give their bench credit, but overall I thought our pace and intentionality on the offensive end were good.”
Coach Stephanie White also made a rotation change after Sunday’s loss. Sophie Cunningham, who played just seven minutes against Washington, saw significantly more court time on Tuesday, while rookie Raven Johnson’s minutes dropped in her place. Indiana’s offense looked noticeably smoother with Cunningham on the floor.
The win keeps Indiana’s push for first-round home-court advantage in the playoffs alive heading into the final stretch. The Fever close out the regular season Thursday with a rematch against the Lynx, this time on the road in Minnesota.
