This is the Kaitlyn Clark WNBA fans have been waiting for.
On Friday night against the Washington Mystics, Clark looked like the star who drew so many fans to women’s basketball during her time at Iowa, proving to fans that she is a bold shooter, taking 3-pointers from anywhere on the court in front of a sold-out crowd at Capital One Arena in Washington.
The Indiana Fever guard tied her WNBA career-high with 30 points, eight rebounds, six assists and four steals to go with seven 3-pointers (7-of-13 from the field) in an 85-83 win over the Mystics.
Clark’s seven 3-pointers were the most of her WNBA career, surpassing the four she made in the first and third games of the season. Her first 30-point game came in a loss to the defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces on May 28.
Despite Clark’s points, the Fever barely held on to a winless Mystics victory. With Indiana leading 82-80, Aaliyah Boston missed two free throws to give Washington a chance to tie the game. But Arielle Atkins missed a drive to the basket and the Mystics were fouled on their next attempt. Clark made both free throws to tie her career high and give Indiana a four-point lead, securing the win.
Friday’s game marked a turning point for Clark, who had a career-low in points last Sunday in a 104-68 loss to the New York Liberty. The shooting splendor put an exclamation point on a week in which Clark’s performance this season and the attention she’s received have dominated the sports world.
Indiana picked up its third win of the season, while Washington remains winless at 0-10, becoming the only WNBA team without a win in 2024.
The Mystics had several defenders pressuring Clark — Julie VanLuh, Didi Richards and Carly Samuelson — but she frequently broke free with crossover dribbles, step-backs and even strong screens from teammates. And it didn’t matter how far from the arc she was, Clark was delivering.
Kelsey Mitchell added 16 points for the Fever, and Nalyssa Smith had 10 points and 20 rebounds for Boston, who also had 10 points.
Stephanie Dolson led the Mystics with 19 points on 7-of-10 field goal shooting, including 5-of-6 from 3-point range, and Atkins added 16 points.
Clark’s performance certainly justified the Mystics’ decision to move Friday’s game to the larger Capital One Arena and its 20,356-seat capacity to accommodate ticket demand. Washington typically plays its home games at the Entertainment and Sports Arena, which seats 4,200. But they played in front of a full house to see the Fever rookie sensation.
The Fever will next face the unbeaten (9-0) Connecticut Sun on Monday at Mohegan Sun Arena (unless the Sun suffers its first loss on Saturday against the Liberty) with the game kicking off at 7pm ET.
