Caitlin Clark gave Indianapolis one more viral moment, drilling a game-tying three in the final seconds of regulation, but the Washington Mystics survived in overtime to beat the Indiana Fever 104-102 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Friday night. The ending had everything except the home-team finish, leaving Fever fans stewing over late-game execution and a pile of missed chances.
Clark’s Late Heroics
Clark put on the kind of show that usually ends in a win. She finished with 32 points and eight assists and buried a deep three in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter to pull Indiana even and force overtime, according to StatMuse. Logging 37 minutes, she kept looking for the ball in the fourth, repeatedly attacking and dragging the Fever back into striking distance as the game spilled into the extra period.
Mystics’ Balanced Attack
While Clark lit up the marquee, Washington countered with a two-headed attack that never really cooled off. Sonia Citron dropped 30 points and Kiki Iriafen powered her way to 25 points and 13 rebounds, performances that kept the Mystics close enough to pounce late, as reported by The Indianapolis Star. Citron chipped in on the boards and as a secondary playmaker, and Iriafen’s work inside made Washington a problem around the rim all night.
Overtime And The Finish
The extra five minutes turned into a tug-of-war. Lexie Hull splashed a 26-foot three with six seconds left in overtime to pull Indiana within one, but Citron calmly stepped to the line and hit two free throws with four seconds remaining to push Washington back in front for good, according to the play-by-play on StatMuse. The Mystics closed it out at the stripe and survived one last Fever surge in the dying seconds.
Injury And Missed Opportunities
The loss was not Indiana’s only concern. Aliyah Boston exited with a lower-leg issue and did not return, a situation the Fever will be watching closely, according to The Indianapolis Star. The Star also notes that Indiana squandered key free throws in overtime, a cruel twist for a team that had fought all the way back only to see its comeback undercut at the line.
Takeaways And What’s Next
The box score tells the rest of the story. Washington shot 38-of-67 from the field, a blistering 56.7 percent, and controlled the glass with a 43-29 rebounding edge, according to FOX Sports. Indiana heads back to practice and deeper into a homestand with no shortage of film to dissect and lingering questions about late-game execution and depth as the early season starts to take shape.
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