Caitlin Clark Has One Word Over Major Issue in Indiana Fever Loss

Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever attempted 20 free throws in Game 3, well behind the Las Vegas Aces' 35 free throws

by Angelo Guinhawa

Oct 2, 2026

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) walks off the court bleeding during the fourth quarter of Game 3.

Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect

The Indiana Fever lost to the Las Vegas Aces in Game 3 of their first-round series, officially eliminating Caitlin Clark and company from the WNBA playoffs.

Indiana had no answer for A’ja Wilson, who finished with 36 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks. She even set a new record since it was her fifth career playoff game with at least 35 points, the most in WNBA playoff history.

Only Kelsey Mitchell scored more than 20 points for Indiana, with 23. Clark, for her part, finished with 18 points, two rebounds, four assists, two steals and four blocks.

One of the biggest deciding factors in the game, however, was the free throw disparity between the two teams. The Aces took 35 free throws and made 28 of them, while the Fever attempted 20 shots from the charity stripe and made 14.

It certainly hurt the Fever, especially since Indiana lost by 11 points, 94-83.

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) argues a call during game two of the first round for the 2026 WNBA Playoffs against the Las Vegas Aces.

Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

During the postgame press conference, head coach Stephanie White mentioned the free-throw disparity when discussing where they struggled as a team.

Clark, who was beside White when she highlighted the stat, could only react with one word when she heard the massive difference.

“Interesting,” Clark shared.

To be fair to Clark, there’s a reason why one would find the numbers interesting. For one, the Fever actually made more field goals than the Aces (30-29), including 3-pointers (9-8). Indiana also outrebounded Las Vegas 38-34.

The Fever also had more assists (16-15), steals (8-4) and blocks (6-4). The two teams had the same amount of turnovers (10-10), and Las Vegas just really beat Clark and company in fouls, since it had 19 personal fouls compared to Indiana’s 27.

As a result of those fouls, the Aces went to the free-throw line more often, which proved to be the difference in the game.

For what it’s worth, Clark was critical of WNBA officiating in Game 2, saying that the referees were really inconsistent. After their Game 3 loss, it’s unlikely that her feelings have changed.