Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever defeated the Las Vegas Aces 99-89 in Game 2 on Tuesday. They kept their championship quest alive and forced a winner-take-all Game 3.
The superstar guard delivered a strong performance despite battling foul trouble. Clark didn’t hold back in her assessment of how the referees officiated the matchup.
Clark finished with 27 points on 9-of-18 shooting, including 5-of-11 from three. She added seven rebounds and a playoff career-high 15 assists, which is the most in a playoff game in franchise history.
Clark, however, fouled out with 2:45 remaining in the fourth quarter. The three-time All-Star said after the game that she believed the referees did not perform well. The 24-year-old also demanded more consistency.
“I thought the refs really struggled tonight,” Clark said at the 8:40 mark. “It’s really confusing at times.
“I looked at the free-throw count, and before Kelsey got fouled and shot the four free throws at the end, I think we were at 18 (free throw attempts), and they were at 34.
“It’s just so inconsistent. And you call an offensive foul on me and then I’m getting hit the same way on the defensive end and it’s a foul on me. It doesn’t make sense.
“They just have to be better. It’s the playoffs. Either call it all the time or don’t. But be consistent.”
Clark emphasized, however, that the officiating “didn’t bother us.” She commended her team for fighting through it all.
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Kelsey Mitchell scored 26 points for the Fever, while Aliyah Boston added 22 points, four rebounds and five assists. Indiana converted 37-of-71 field-goal attempts and 8-of-21 from beyond the arc.
Meanwhile, Jackie Young led Las Vegas with a game-high 31 points, four rebounds and five assists. She also shot 13-of-13 from the free-throw line. A’ja Wilson registered 22 points, nine rebounds and three steals.
The Fever and Aces will meet again in Game 3 on Thursday at Michelob ULTRA Arena. The winner will advance to the next round to face either the Golden State Valkyries or the Dallas Wings. As of this writing, the Valkyries lead that series 1-0.
