Caitlin Clark Leads Indiana Fever to Commissioner’s Cup Berth in Heated Win Over Connecticut Sun

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Caitlin Clark continued her stellar rookie campaign by scoring 20 points and dishing out six assists to lead the Indiana Fever to an 88–71 win over the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday night. The game, held at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, was a physical contest that saw three players ejected in the final minute. The win secured the Fever a spot in the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup, thanks also to an Atlanta Dream loss to the New York Liberty. Clark, who returned from injury last weekend and hit seven three-pointers against New York, stayed hot against Connecticut. She made her first three attempts from beyond the arc and had 12 points at halftime, helping the Fever build a 47–39 lead. Her fourth three-pointer of the night pushed Indiana’s advantage to 84–64 late in the fourth quarter. The game became increasingly intense in the second half. During the third quarter, Connecticut’s Jacy Sheldon poked Clark in the eye, triggering a sequence in which Marina Mabrey shoved Clark to the floor. Officials assessed three technical fouls, leading to three free throws for Clark and a 58–45 Fever lead. The tension reached a peak with just under a minute remaining when Sheldon attempted a fast break following a steal. She was wrapped up hard by Indiana’s Sophie Cunningham, which led to a shoving match and the ejections of Cunningham, Sheldon, and Fever guard Lindsay Allen.

The Fever’s victory was a team effort. Kelsey Mitchell added 17 points, while Natasha Howard recorded her 50th career double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Damiris Dantas also contributed a season-high 13 points. With the win, Indiana moved to 6–5 on the season—marking their first time above .500 since the third game of the year.On the opposing side, Connecticut’s Tina Charles led all scorers with 20 points. Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Jaelyn Brown contributed 14 and 13 points, respectively, but the Sun fell to 2–9 after another cold offensive stretch. They went nearly six minutes in the third quarter without making a field goal, which allowed the Fever to pull away decisively. With this win, Indiana improved to 4–1 in Commissioner’s Cup play, giving them the edge over the Liberty thanks to a head-to-head 102–88 victory last Saturday. The Fever will now prepare to compete for the Commissioner’s Cup title, with Clark continuing to emerge as one of the league’s brightest stars.