INDIANAPOLIS – A lousy third quarter led to the Fever losing a game to the Minnesota Lynx 99-88 on Friday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The Fever are now 18-17 and still in 6th place in the standings. Minnesota will move up to 2nd place in the standings at 25-9, just ahead of Connecticut at 24-9.
Here are some observations:
Fever value: Indiana Fever lost to Minnesota Lynx 99-88. Caitlin Clark had 25 points and 5 3-pointers in the loss.
The fever collapses in the third quarter, comeback attempt in the fourth
By halftime, the Fever were in control, leading 50-45 against the third-place Lynx and had a chance to build on their momentum in the second half.
When the Fever lose their composure, it has a huge impact on their scoring. The Lynx began the half on a 7-0 run, and during that time Aliyah Boston picked up a technical foul.
Fever rookie Caitlin Clark was visibly frustrated with the referees, including in one instance where she fell to the ground after a clean block by Napheesa Collier. She lay on the ground while the rest of her teammates returned to transition defense and got up after Collier made a shot on the other end. After the Lynx were called for a defensive foul on the next possession, Clark clapped her hands toward the referee while crouching down.
This frustration was reflected in their shooting performance: The Fever made just three of 15 shots in the third quarter, lost the ball six times and were called for six fouls.
Minnesota scored 29 points in the quarter and took advantage of the Fever’s desperation to make 11 of 17 shots, including three 3-pointers, to turn a five-point deficit into a 12-point lead in 10 minutes.
Although the Fever recovered in the fourth quarter and scored more points than the Lynx, this was never enough to regain the lead.
Aliyah Boston gets the second technique within a week
After not picking up a technical foul in her entire rookie season, second-year center Aliyah Boston has now picked up two in the last week.
The first time this happened was during halftime of the Fever’s win over the Sky on August 30, when she received a technical penalty for arguing with the referee on the way to the locker room after the halftime whistle. The second time this happened seven days later on Friday night against the Lynx – she clapped her hands and argued with a referee after the referee called a Fever ball out of bounds in the third period.
Ultimately, neither of these things had much of an impact on the game – the Fever beat the Sky by 20 points last week and the Lynx missed their technical free throw.
Boston now has two technical fouls this season. Although getting technical fouls is new territory for her, with just five games of the regular season remaining, she is still five technical fouls away from a suspension. Boston’s rookie teammate Caitlin Clark will have to be more cautious; she has five technical fouls so far this season, two of them away from a one-game suspension.
How many points did Caitlin Clark score?
Caitlin Clark scored 25 points on 8 of 21 shooting and also had eight rebounds and eight assists.
