Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark had a nifty play that had the Seattle Storm crowd buzzing in the third quarter on Wednesday.Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark had a nifty play that had the Seattle Storm crowd buzzing in the third quarter on Wednesday.

Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever are in Seattle looking for their first win this season in the WNBA. The Fever have been improving and pushed the Connecticut Sun on Monday before losing, 88-84. They will be taking on a Storm squad that battled hard but succumbed to the New York Liberty, 74-63.

After trailing 25-16 in the first quarter, the Fever clawed back into the game behind Clark and NaLyssa Smith. If not for Seattle star Nneka Ogwumike, they might have taken the lead. Considering how they started, the Fever were happy to trail 44-40 by halftime.

The third quarter was when Caitlin Clark and her teammates took control of the game. Near the halfway point of the said period, she had this play that even the Storm crowd appreciated:


The former Iowa Hawkeyes superstar was closely guarded by the veteran Skylar Diggins-Smith, who was having a superb game. Clark surveyed the floor before snapping into a drive going to her right but snatched back the ball with a behind-the-back dribble. The move left Diggins-Smith flailing right, which was all Clark needed to jack up a 3 that hit nothing but the net.

The trifecta started a crippling 13-0 run that was capped off by Katie Lou Samuelson’s jumper off a dime from Clark. Indiana grabbed the lead 56-54 with that shot before Nneka Ogwumike answered with a layup to knot the score. The Fever ended the quarter holding a slim 60-58 edge despite Aliyah Boston having perhaps her worst game in the WNBA.

Caitlin Clark fumbles ball late against Storm

The Indiana Fever trailed 84-83 to the Seattle Storm with 11.0 seconds but had ball possession. Indiana’s first play was to screen for Katie Lou Samuelson to get an excellent position under the basket. Seattle’s Ezi Magbegor, however, tipped the ball out of bounds, forcing the Fever to a timeout.

In the return play, it was Caitlin Clark who received the ball with 10.3 seconds remaining. The Storm anticipated that and quickly double-teamed her along the sidelines. Clark fumbled the ball before a jump ball was called with 4.7 seconds left in the game. Seattle won the tip and the game after Nneka Ogwumike was fouled after securing possession.


Ogwumike completed her heroics by making 1-of-2 free throws. Boston’s desperate heave from 48 feet was way off, giving the Storm an 85-83 victory.

 

Caitlin Clark’s error, which was due to Seattle’s pressure, proved costly. She will try to get her first win in the WNBA when the Fever faces Cameron Brink and the LA Sparks next on Friday.

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