A combined 47 points from Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell helped the Indiana Fever outlast the host Los Angeles Sparks 87-78 on Wednesday night.
Mitchell scored 11 of her 23 points in the second quarter, when the Fever pulled away. Clark notched nine of her 24 points in the fourth quarter, holding off a late Sparks rally to claim the win. Each player connected on 9-for-17 shooting from the field, with Clark tallying nine assists.
Los Angeles was led by Kelsey Plum’s game-high 25 points on 9-for-16 shooting. Dearica Hamby added 16 points on 6-for-8 shooting while grabbing eight rebounds. Reserve Cameron Brink added 11 points and five rebounds, while Rae Burrell and Nneka Ogwumike each scored 10 points.
The Sparks pulled within 29-26 on a Hamby layup with 6:54 remaining in the second quarter. But the Fever scored the next nine points as part of a 19-8 run to finish the half. Mitchell did not miss a shot in the quarter, draining all three of her 3-point tries as well as a step-back jumper. Sophie Cunningham added five points and Clark tallied four more in the critical run.
After leading 48-34 at halftime, the Fever stretched the lead to 60-39 on a Myisha Hines-Allen layup midway through the third period.
The Sparks did not challenge until a late 11-3 run pulled them within 83-76 on a short jumper in the lane from Plum with 1:23 remaining.
Cunningham added 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds. All-Star Aliyah Boston finished with just four points and seven rebounds before fouling out in the fourth quarter.
Los Angeles starting guard Ariel Atkins departed the game in the third quarter after suffering a head injury. She finished with two points in 16 minutes.
The teams had each lost their season openers over the weekend, with the Fever falling by three points to the visiting Dallas Wings, while the Sparks dropped a 27-point decision at home to the defending champion Las Vegas Aces.
–Field Level Media
