Electric offensive showing fuels Fever to dominant victory
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Fever did not start fast. They missed four of their first five shots to start the game. But after that, everything changed.
They were scorching hot for the rest of the first quarter. 13 of their last 15 shots found the bottom of the net. Kelsey Mitchell was cooking once again, picking up nine points in the opening frame.
NaLyssa Smith was controlling the paint and also knocked down a three-pointer. Kristy Wallace was slashing down the lane and converting on contested finishes.
In total, they shot 70% from the floor and hit five of six three point attempts, scoring 35 points.
The stellar offensive quarter powered them to their fourth straight win, dismissing the Dream 91-79.
“I think once we got some practice under our belt and some games under our belt, we’ve just been a lot better,” Caitlin Clark said. “I think you can tell just by the way we move the ball and understand each other.
Five players reached double figures in scoring for the Fever.
Smith was dominant throughout the game, finishing with her second highest point total of the season with 21.
Clark was dialed in from long range, making three of her first four three-point attempts and four total for the game. She was bit by the turnover bug again, totaling seven giveaways. She did pick up seven assists as well.
Mitchell continued her fast start, finishing with 18 points.
Aliyah Boston picked up another double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, her fourth double-double in her last five games. She also shot a perfect 5-5 from the field.
As dominant as the Fever were offensively, they were just as impressive on the defensive end. They had the Dream out of sorts early, forcing Dream head coach Tanisha Wright to call a timeout just over two minutes into the game. They ended up getting 25 points in the first quarter, but the Fever tightened it up in the second, forcing the Dream into eight straight misses to start the second quarter.
The Dream shot just 33.8% from the floor. They were successful in drawing fouls though, getting to the charity stripe 35 times and made 31 of them.
The Fever have eclipsed 90 points in three of their four games in the winning streak. They also haven’t trailed in either of their last two games. The last time they were losing was with 5:01 left in the third quarter against the Sky on Sunday, over 95 game minutes ago.
This is the first time the Fever have won four straight games since 2015.
They’ll take their winning ways to Chicago. The Fever are 2-0 against the Sky this year with one of those wins coming on the road.
Despite the anticipated matchup facing off against Angel Reese, Clark doesn’t see it as much of a rivalry, saying the only people that describe it as such are members of the media.
“For us, it’s just a game of basketball,” Clark said. “That’s what it is. If it’s going to help move the game forward, absolutely, that’s amazing. That’s that it should be.”
The Fever and Sky will tip off at 4 p.m. on Sunday.