Caitlin Clark sets WNBA rookie record as Fever beat Sun

Kelsey Mitchell scored 23 points, Caitlin Clark had 19 points, five rebounds and five assists, and the Indiana Fever beat the Connecticut Sun 84-80 on Wednesday night to snap an 11-game losing streak in the series.

It was Indiana’s first win against Connecticut since July 3, 2021.

Neither team led by double figures in a game where Clark set a WNBA rookie record for made 3-pointers, passing Rhyne Howard’s 85 in 2022, with a triple in the first quarter. Clark added two more 3-pointers before finishing 3 of 12, giving her 88 on the season.

With Indiana leading 82-80, Clark had a long 3-pointer rattle out and Connecticut called a timeout with 38.6 seconds left. Marina Mabrey worked the clock down before passing it to Alyssa Thomas, who had it stolen by Indiana’s Temi Fagbenle with 24.1 remaining.

Lexie Hull, a 76% free-throw shooter, made two free throws with 19.4 seconds left to give Indiana a four-point lead. DiJonai Carrington was short on a 3-point attempt and Clark grabbed the rebound before running out the clock.

MYSTICS 74, SKY 70

CHICAGO (AP) — Stefanie Dolson scored 17 points and Ariel Atkins added 15 points and five assists to help Washington beat Chicago.

Washington (9-22) has won three consecutive games — including a 74-72 win over the Storm in Seattle on Monday — for the first time this season. That winning streak comes on the heels of a five-game skid.

The Sky had a 68-61 lead with 4:38 to play, but the Mystics rallied and closed the game on a 13-2 run to clinch their first three-game winning streak since last June.

After falling behind by seven, an Aaliyah Edwards putback off a miss by Brittney Sykes sparked an 11-0 run that gave Washington a 72-68 lead with 1:01 left.

Chicago’s Kamilla Cardoso snapped a scoring drought of nearly four minutes with a basket to make it 72-70 with 51.1 seconds to play, but the Sky (11-19) would not score again.

LYNX 89, MECURY 76

PHOENIX (AP) — Kayla McBride scored 19 points and hit three of Minnesota’s 11 3-pointers to help the Lynx beat Phoenix and extend their winning streak to seven.

Courtney Williams scored 16 points with five assists, Napheesa Collier added 12 points, eight rebounds and five assists and Myisha Hines-Allen had 11 for Minnesota (23-8). Bridget Carleton finished with nine points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Minnesota, which is now a half-game ahead of Connecticut for the second-best record in the WNBA, built an early edge with a 17-0 run in the first quarter and never looked back. Phoenix had scoring drought of more than five minutes, allowing the Lynx to flip a 5-3 deficit into a 20-5 lead.

STORM 85, DREAM 81

SEATTLE (AP) — Jewell Loyd scored 28 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 23.1 seconds left, and Seattle rallied past Atlanta despite veteran Tina Charles becoming the 18th player in WNBA history to record a triple-double.

Seattle (19-11) trailed 81-77 with 1:40 remaining but a bucket from Nneka Ogwumike and Loyd’s clutch triple and subsequent free throws allowed the Storm to pull out the victory.

Atlanta guard Allisha Gray had it stripped away by Skylar Diggins-Smith and Seattle forward Ezi Magbegor secured the loose ball before calling a timeout with 28.1 seconds left. Loyd curled around a high screen and sank the open 3-pointer to give Seattle an 83-81 lead.

SPARKS 94, LIBERTY 88

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dearica Hamby scored 21 points, rookie Rickea Jackson added 19 and last-place Los Angeles beat the WNBA-leading New York to snap a seven-game losing streak.

Rae Burrell made 7 of 8 from the field, 3 of 3 from 3-point range, and tied her season-high with 18 points for the Sparks (7-24). Odyssey Sims added 14 points and seven assists and Azurá Stevens scored 10.

New York (26-5) has lost two of its last three games following an eight-game winning streak and is just 2 1/2 games ahead of the Minnesota Lynx — who have won seven straight — for the best record in the league.

The Associated Press