Indianapolis – Much has gone wrong for fever this season. Saturday was a reminder of how good they can see when things go well.
Although it is still at the beginning of the year, until this point, the fever has barely looked like the title contenders most expected. The injuries have played a massive role in that, starting at the top with Caitlin Clark.
But he returned on Saturday after being left aside for three weeks to play undefeated freedom and seemed that the MVP candidate many positioned her. Clark pours 32 points, 25 or who arrived in the first half, and flirted with a triple double while helping fever to establish a single game franchise record.
All of that joined Indiana by giving New York its first defeat of the season and restarting ITELF as one of the best teams in the League.
“He knew that his adrenaline was going to be high to start,” said Chief coach Stephanie White from Clark. “I mean, she has itching on her legs to come out again.
“I thought it was going to be a half of 25 points? No. But as she or does, when he gets heated, it’s a streak, right?” White continued. “She took us in the first half and then everyone else took us in the second half.”
Any question about how Clark would be acclimated after his first absence of injury since the high school was very quickly swept. In a different outburst than anyone in the WNBA, Clark buried a trio of long -range emphasis on lung – Buckets in 45 seconds in the first quarter.
“I felt good,” Clark said. “I taught one in transition. That is a son like where I like to get early and it is always good to see that the ball goes through hope. And then I come and shot another, then I went down and shot another and you have a lot of a great confidence of great confidence of great confidence of a great confidence of great confidence of great confidence of great confidence of great confidence of great confidence of great confidence of great confidence of great confidence of great confidence of great confidence of great confidence of great confidence of great confidence of great confidence of great confidence of great confidence of great confidence of great confidence of great confidence of a great confidence of a great confidence of a great confidence of a great confidence of a great confidence of a great confidence of a great confidence of a great confidence of a great confidence Great confidence of great confidence of great confidence of great confidence of great confidence of great confidence of great confidence.
Clark did not stop there, since he kept demolishing triples, connecting in six of them in the first half. Those 25 points in the first two periods were the third in the history of the franchise for any half.
Despite all the attention of the media presented to him, on Saturday was another reminder of how good is Clark. While the halves of 25 points cannot be the expectation, if Clark constantly plays even close to this level, it will be inserted in the MVP conversation sooner rather than later.
And if you are playing at the MVP level, fever will be one of the best teams in the League.
As great as Clark’s first was half, It was the beginning of the third quarter that the fever highlighted after the game as the determining factor in the victory. After leading 53-50 in half, Indiana immediately gave up a 9-0 race to start the period. As a result of the use of a series of waiting times in the first half, the fever did not have a spare to call. Instead, they had to solve it on their own.
The answer was as emphatic as they come.
After continuing 59-53 with 7:31 remaining in the third, the fever made a 25-3 race over the next five minutes and 12 seconds, completely turning the game to open an advantage of 16 points.
“Our coaches told us when we were in the locker room in the middle of the time,” we already used too many waiting times. We do not really have waiting times to use, so do not let them run “and there we let them run and we knew:” “,” “we had to discover how to play it and advance in our own streak. We talk about this in the locker room. I think he is a child or where we grew up today.
“In the past, that’s where we crumble. It is exactly where we collapsed in Atlanta in our last game … but today we really stayed together. We get used to our own career.”
The fever never renounced the advantage from that moment. New York would arrive as close as three points in the room, but Indiana responded again with a 14-3 race, captured with a triple of the Kelsey Mitchell corner with 2:12 remaining to put the 99-84 fever, effectively finishing the game.
“We understand that basketball is a racing game and is not able to surrender at that time,” said Lexie Hull. “So, I think just being able to trust 1-11 [on the roster] That we are going to leave, have our backs and we will work on those difficult times because New York is a very good team.
“They will continue running. They will have those moments when we cannot stop them for a period of time, but how do we solve that? How do we change that impulse?” The helmet continued. “Simply proud or our group for staying with him.”
It has bone a particularly diffuse opening month of the season for fever. Together with Clark, the Sophie Cunningham guard also returned from an injury against freedom. Sydney Colson has left multiple games this season also due to an injury, leaving fever without a dance available sometimes.
In addition to that, Dewanna Bonner was not with the team on Saturday for personal reasons. Chief coach Stephanie White also lost a game this season for personal reasons.
The victory over New York was then, in many ways, the light at the end of the fever tunnel while looking to reaffirm near the top of the league.
“Emotionally, it’s a relief,” White said about victory. “It is an elevator. When you go through difficult times, it puts life in perspective. I think the most important thing is that this team has been resistant and has not been easy and will not be. Just like winning it is difficult … and for us, this group remains together, they encourage each other, they take force each other.
“There are not many teams that position themselves to win and win constantly that they have no confidence, that they do not have a tight chemistry, that they have no sacrifice, which I receive for me, that they do not go through difficult times and I think that this group has been resistant … I am really proud of them and I am really grateful for them.”
