INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Fever evened their first-round WNBA playoff series against the Las Vegas Aces with a 99-89 victory in Game 2 on Tuesday, Sept. 29, setting up a win-or-go-home Game 3 in Las Vegas.
All-Star guard Caitlin Clark delivered a dominant performance for the Fever. She finished with 27 points and 15 assists in 33 minutes before fouling out late in the fourth quarter. Clark shot 9 for 18 from the field, including 5 of 11 from beyond the arc, and made all four free-throw attempts.
Clark made WNBA postseason history in the first half, recording 14 points and 11 assists—the first time a player achieved a points-and-assists double-double in a single half of a WNBA playoff game.
The Fever responded sharply after Clark received a technical foul in the second quarter. Following the call at the 8:33 mark, the Fever went on a 28-14 run.
Guard Kelsey Mitchell contributed 26 points for Indiana, while center Aliyah Boston added 22 points and five assists. Mitchell credited the team's defensive intensity. "We were able to get stops, and the Fever are the best team when we can get stops and then go play in transition," Mitchell said. "Everything that y'all saw was shot selection and a domino effect."
The Fever's defense held reigning MVP A'ja Wilson to 20 points and nine rebounds, a sharp drop from her Game 1 output of 38 points and 16 rebounds.
Jackie Young led the Aces with 31 points, making all 13 of her free-throw attempts. Chelsea Gray was the only other Las Vegas player to reach double figures with 10 points.
Game 3 is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 1, in Las Vegas.
