The Connecticut Sun are moving on to their sixth consecutive WNBA semifinal, having outlasted stellar performances by Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston to defeat the Indiana Fever, 87-81. Alyssa Thomas led the Sun with 19 points and 13 rebounds as she played all 40 minutes. Marina Mabrey added 17 points, including eight in the fourth quarter. All told, five Sun players scored in double figures. The Fever trailed by as many as 11 points in the fourth quarter, but leveled the score with just over two minutes to play. Clark finished with 25 points, nine assists and six rebounds. Boston had 16 points and 19 rebounds, while Kelsey Mitchell added 17 points.
Caitlin Clark had a better performance tonight than she did in Game 1, but her shooting still wasn't up to her usual (absurdly high) standard. She shot 10-for-23 overall and went just 3-for-12 from behind the arc.
The Indiana Fever put up a much better fight than they did in Game 1 but it still wasn't enough to beat the Sun. Caitlin Clark's historic rookie season comes to a close.
The Sun's Dominance on the Defensive End
The Sun's exceptional defense was on display for Game 1's entire 40 minutes. They held an Indiana team that has shot 47% from the field and 40% from behind the arc since returning from the extended break to a meager 40/21/75 shooting split. DeWanna Bonner was sensational in defending Clark, while Thomas put up a triple-double, and Mabrey finished with a playoff career-high 27 points off the bench. Indiana has very little playoff experience, which showed toward the end of the first half and the entirety of the fourth quarter. Still, don’t expect the Fever to shoot as poorly in Game 2; they had the WNBA’s best post-break offense for a reason.
As usual, Connecticut’s defense was great, but Indiana had plenty of opportunities and open looks that it failed to convert. Additionally, the Sun shot close to 50% from the field and 50% from behind the arc, which is partially due to Indiana’s matador-like defense. However, it is borderline unreasonable to expect a team that ranked eighth (out of 12 teams) in effective field goal percentage to have another lights-out shooting night in Game 2.
The Sun Are Ready For the Semifinals
The Connecticut Sun are moving on to the WNBA semifinals for the sixth consecutive season. They’ll now take on either the Minnesota Lynx or the Phoenix Mercury in the next round. As for Clark and Indiana, which was playing in its first postseason since 2016, they’ll now head home to Indianapolis.
But the Fever’s push to extend their season eventually came up short. The Fever made just two buckets in the final two minutes of the game, both of which were layups, and both DeWanna Bonner and Marina Mabrey added 3-pointers to give the Sun the lead once again. From there, they pushed ahead to grab the six-point win and secure their spot in the semifinals.
What’s Next for the Fever?
Caitlin Clark's rookie season comes to a close right where it started in Connecticut. This is a young group with a core in Clark and Boston poised to compete for championships in a few years. But it takes losses like this to get there. Expect the Fever to add a vet with deep playoff experience in the offseason, possibly in that 3 or 4 position should they re-sign Mitchell (UFA).
A Glimpse of the Future
The Connecticut Sun are moving on to the WNBA semifinals for the sixth consecutive season. They'll face the winner of the Minnesota Lynx and Phoenix Mercury series. The Indiana Fever are heading home, but with the young core they've built, their future is bright. This series showed a glimpse of what could be for the Fever in the years to come.
