By Michael Vaupel, ESPN Senior Writer August 28, 2024 at 11pm ET
CloseMichael Vaupel is a senior writer covering the WNBA, women’s college basketball and other college sports. Vaupel began covering women’s basketball in 1984 and has been with ESPN since 1996.
Indiana’s Caitlin Clark broke the WNBA rookie record for 3-pointers made in a season and teammate Kelsey Mitchell became the first Fever player to score 20 or more points in five consecutive games, leading to an 84-80 win over Connecticut on Wednesday night in Indianapolis that ended the Fever’s 11-game losing streak against the Sun.
The Fever started the season 1-8 before improving to 15-16, and their 12-6 mark since June 10 is third-best in the WNBA behind New York and Minnesota.
Indiana is on track to clinch its first playoff berth since finishing the season 17-17 in 2016. The WNBA changed to a 40-game season last year.
The Suns lost to Indiana for the first time since July 3, 2021 and fell to 22-8.
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“The maturity and toughness our guys showed tonight was just phenomenal,” Fever coach Christy Sides said. “We’ve watched them grow from where they started to where they are now. Connecticut is a great team and I’m very proud of our guys.”
Mitchell, the No. 2 draft pick in 2018, had 23 points. Indiana is 4-1 and has scored 128 points in its past five games.
Clarke finished with 19 points, five assists and five rebounds, becoming the first WNBA player to post six consecutive games with a 15-5-5 record and her 10th consecutive game with at least 15 points and five assists, tying Phoenix’s Diana Taurasi for the longest streak in league history (2010).
Clark made three 3-pointers, his 88th career 3-pointer in 31 games this season. Atlanta’s Rhyne Howard, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 draft and Rookie of the Year, previously held the record with 85 3-pointers made in 34 games.
Clark previously set the WNBA rookie season assist record and, at Iowa, made 548 3-pointers and scored 3,951 points, both NCAA Division I records.
“I think it speaks to the way we attack,” Clark said of the Fever’s continued success with 3-pointers. “It’s just quick and fast-paced. I definitely feel like we can shoot it a little better.”
Clark missed his final three shots on Wednesday, including one that nearly went through the goal but spun out. He said he was disappointed with the shot but overall happy with his shot selections.
“I felt like I scored a goal,” Clark said with a smile, “so it was a little disappointing, but I think we’re taking good shots and that’s the most important thing for this team.”
The on-court chemistry between Clark and fellow guard Mitchell has been especially strong since WNBA play resumed after the Olympic break. The Fever’s franchise superstar is Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings, who was the 2011 WNBA MVP and led Indiana to the 2012 league championship, but Mitchell’s five straight games of 20 or more points are something even Catchings never managed.
“It’s really hard to do that in this league,” Clark said of Mitchell. “In my eyes, she’s one of the most underrated players. She’s been so consistent every night. She goes out there and she performs. She’s always been a player I can count on and it’s been a lot of fun building our teamwork throughout this season.”
