Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever kept their WNBA championship hopes alive on Tuesday. They defeated the defending champions, the Las Vegas Aces, in Game 2 of their first-round playoff matchup.
After losing Game 1 by 17 points, the Fever bounced back at home with a 99-89 victory. Clark led the way for Indiana. The three-time WNBA All-Star scored a team-high 27 points on 50% shooting. She also made five three-pointers, dished out 15 assists and grabbed seven rebounds.
The FIBA World Cup gold medalist came up big in the must-win game for the Fever. She made a tremendous impact on the outcome despite fouling out with 2:45 left in the fourth quarter.
WNBA referee and crew chief Randy Richardson addressed the decision on Clark’s sixth foul, which disqualified her from the remainder of the contest.
“By rule, a player who receives the ball in a pass in the lower defensive box needs to be able to allow an offensive player to land,” Richardson said after the game, via the WNBA Pool Report. “At that point she was not allowed to land and that constituted her sixth foul.”
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The Fever were up nine points when Clark fouled out. They held on without their star point guard, closing out the game to secure the win.
The Fever have now set a do-or-die matchup on Thursday. They will travel to Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas for Game 3. The winner advances to the semifinals and will face either the Golden State Valkyries or Dallas Wings.
