Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever eliminated by Sun in WNBA playoffs

The Connecticut Sun’s pursuit of the franchise’s first WNBA championship continues, but Caitlin Clark’s sensational rookie season is over, after the Sun held on for a 87-81 win in Game 2 Wednesday, sweeping Indiana and ending the Fever’s postseason run.

The Sun were led again by Alyssa Thomas, who recorded her fourth straight playoff game with 10 assists. Thomas finished with a team-high 19 points, 13 assists and five rebounds. Marina Mabrey chipped in 17 points while DeWanna Bonner added 15 and seven rebounds.

Clark finished with a game-high 25 points, six rebounds and nine assists. Aaliyah Boston was terrific inside, scoring 16 points while grabbing 19 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough for Indiana.

ANALYSIS:Caitlin Clark's record-setting rookie year is over. How much better can she get?

MORE:How many points did Caitlin Clark score in her rookie season? See all her stats

Connecticut advances to the semifinals and will meet Minneapolis. The Lynx swept Diana Taurasi and the Phoenix Mercury in their Game 2 later Wednesday night.

Read on for news, highlights and key moments:

Fever at Sun: Game 2 highlights

Another record for Caitlin Clark

The Indiana guard became the first rookie to score 25 points, dish five assists and grab five rebounds in a postseason game. She tied her favorite player, Maya Moore, at the 20-point mark earlier.

Caitlin Clark and Maya Moore now share this stat

Clark joined her childhood idol, Maya Moore, in becoming just the second WNBA rookie in playoff history to score 20 points, grab five rebounds and dish five assists. The other former rookie to do that? None other than Maya Moore, Caitlin Clark’s favorite player.

End of 3Q: Connecticut 61, Indiana 52

Perhaps you’ve heard that Alyssa Thomas has two torn labrums, one in each shoulder.

It doesn’t seem to matter.

Thomas scored 10 points in the third quarter to boost the Sun to a 61-52 lead. She already has recorded a double-double (16 points, 10 assists) and is on triple-double watch again (she has five rebounds). She’s helped the Sun maintain their lead over Indiana despite Caitlin Clark hitting the 20-point mark.

Erica Wheeler takes hard tumble at end of first half

Erick Wheeler came smoking down the floor on the final play of the half, but missed an open layup and her momentum carried her into the first row of photographers. The spill looked awkward and Wheeler was down for a couple minutes before walking off the court under her own power, holding her midsection. The Fever said Wheeler suffered a thumb injury but can play.

Halftime: Connecticut 41, Indiana 34

Does anyone for Indiana want to play defense?

It didn’t look like it in the second quarter, as Connecticut got going in transition, scoring in the open floor while Indiana mostly stood around as the Sun opened a 41-34 halftime lead.

Four Sun players have already scored six points or more, led by Marina Mabrey, who has nine. Triple double queen Alyssa Thomas already has six points, eight assists and three rebounds.

On the other end, Caitlin Clark has scored or assisted on 10 of Indiana’s 13 field goals. She’s got 14 points, four assists and four rebounds. Aliyah Boston, who did come back to the game with two fouls, has eight points and 11 rebounds.

The Fever should have cut into Connecticut’s lead right at the end of the half, but Erica Wheeler blew a wide open layup. Worse, she took a hard tumble into the first row — and a camera man — and appears to be injured.  

End of 1Q: Connecticut 17, Indiana 14

Caitlin Clark knows it’s do-or-die time — and she’s playing like it.

The rookie connected on her first 3 attempt just 27 seconds into Game 2, and then hit another midway through the first quarter. Clark already has six points, four rebounds and three assists.

Meanwhile, the Connecticut Sun couldn’t throw a basketball in the ocean for most of the first quarter, shooting just 5-of-20 after starting 1-of-11. But the Sun closed on an 11-0 run over the last three minutes to take a slim lead, 17-14.

Keep an eye on pace. There’s a lot of time left, but the pace through the first quarter absolutely favors the Fever.

A potential problem for Indiana: Aliyah Boston got whistled for her second foul with just under two minutes to play in the first quarter, sending her to the bench. She might not return this half.

Caitlin Clark gets fan temporarily moved

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — A fan sitting courtside was escorted out of his seat for a short time during Wednesday night's Game 2 after Fever rookie Clark reported him to officials.

In a dead ball period after a Fever foul, Clark went up to officials and pointed out someone sitting in the second row of courtside seats. Mohegan Sun Arena security quickly went up to him and escorted him out of his seat and into the back of the house.

At the same time, the Fever were challenging a foul call because they believed it was called on the wrong player. The foul was ultimately successful, being changed to Lexie Hull.

By the time the review was over, the fan had returned to his seat. — Chloe Peterson, Indianapolis Star

Caitlin Clark opens with a 3 and a dime

The Fever rookie launched a 3-pointer to open scoring and followed that with this sweet pass to Kelsey Mitchell for a layup.

Indiana Fever at Connecticut Sun

The Fever meet the Sun in Uncasville at the Mohegan Sun Arena for Game 2 of their best-of-three series Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Sun lead the series 1-0 and can advance to the semifinals with a victory. If the Fever win, they will force a decisive Game 3 in Indianapolis on Friday.

How to watch Fever at Sun

The game will be broadcast on ESPN.

How to stream Fever at Sun

The game can be streamed on Fubo. In addition to local TV markets, the Fever-Sun game also will be available on demand upon its conclusion on WNBA League Pass. Fans can get the WNBA League Pass by downloading the WNBA app.

Fever make key lineup change for Game 2

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — The Indiana Fever are making a lineup change in a win-or-go home situation.

With Connecticut up 1-0 in the best-of-three first-round playoff series, the Fever have elected to slot Temi Fagbenle in the starting lineup in place of NaLyssa Smith in Wednesday night's Game 2. There is no known injury to Smith; she practiced normally at the Fever's shootaround Wednesday morning and warmed up as normal before tip.

Smith's minutes have been steadily decreasing throughout the second half of the season, despite maintaining her spot in the starting lineup. She has played around 20 minutes per game over the last 10 games of the season, while fellow starters have been averaging 30+ minutes per game. In Game 1, Smith, the No. 2 overall pick in 2022, played just nine minutes, going 0-of-1 from the field with one rebound. — Chloe Peterson, Indianapolis Star

Sun missing a starter vs. Fever

Tyasha Harris will miss Game 2 with an ankle injury. Marina Mabrey, who scored 27 points off the bench in Game 1, gets the start. — Indianapolis Star

Sun starting lineup for Game 2

Fever starting lineup for Game 2

Indiana Fever vs. Connecticut Sun postseason schedule

• Sunday, Game 1: Connecticut 93, Indiana 69
• Wednesday, Game 2: Connecticut 87, Indiana 81, Sun win series 2-0

WNBA postseason schedule

First round

Sunday, Sept. 22:

• Game 1: New York 83, Atlanta 69
• Game 1: Connecticut 93, Indiana 69
• Game 1: Minnesota 102, Phoenix 95
• Game 1: Las Vegas 78, Seattle 67

Tuesday, Sept. 24:

• Game 2: New York 91, Atlanta 82, Liberty win series 2-0
• Game 2: Las Vegas 83, Seattle 76, Aces win series 2-0

Wednesday, Sept. 25

• Game 2: Connecticut 87, Indiana 81, Sun win series 2-0
• Game 2: Minnesota 101, Phoenix 88, Lynx win series 2-0

Semifinals

Las Vegas Aces vs. New York Liberty

• Game 1, Sept. 29: Las Vegas at New York, 3 p.m., ABC
• Game 2, Oct. 1: Las Vegas at New York (TBD)
• Game 3, Oct. 4: New York at Las Vegas (TBD)
• Game 4*, Oct. 6: New York at Las Vegas (TBD)
• Game 5*, Oct. 8: Las Vegas at New York (TBD)

Connecticut Sun vs. Minnesota Lynx

• Game 1, Sept. 29: Connecticut at Minnesota, 8:30 p.m., ESPN

(* - If necessary; all times Eastern; best-of-five series)

Caitlin Clark, DiJonai Carrington downplay eye poke

Indiana Fever vs. Connecticut Sun: USA TODAY reporters' picks 

• Nancy Armour: Sun over Fever in 2 

• Scooby Axson: Sun over Fever in 2 

• Ellen J. Horrow: Sun over Fever in 3 

• Jordan Mendoza: Sun over Fever in 3 

• Lindsay Schnell: Sun over Fever in 2 

Read more prognostications and analysis here. 

DiJonai Carrington named WNBA Most Improved Player

As the WNBA continues to hand out superlatives, Sun guard DiJonai Carrington picked up the Most Improved Player award Wednesday before Game 2. Carrington was taken by the Sun in the second round of the 2021 WNBA draft after completing her grad year at Baylor. She saw her averages in points, rebounds, steals and assists per game rise, along with being a defensive stalwart. Carrington received 28 of 67 first-place votes. Los Angeles Sparks forward Dearica Hamby was second (18 votes) and Minnesota Lynx forward Bridget Carleton was third (15).

Opinion: Caitlin Clark endures tough WNBA playoff debut

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — As Caitlin Clark goes, so go the Indiana Fever. That was true throughout a remarkable regular season of rookie joy, uplifting achievement and unexpected triumph. 

It also was true on Sunday afternoon, when the rough-and-tumble reality of the WNBA postseason came crashing down on a Fever starting five that had never played a second in the playoffs before they stepped onto the court for Game 1 against the formidable and seasoned Connecticut Sun. Read Christine Brennan's full column here.

Caitlin Clark rewrites WNBA record books. Again. And again. 

The Fever rookie made headlines all summer with her head-turning play. Revisit her accomplishments in this graphic. 

How Caitlin Clark helped change Lexie Hull's game 

Like most WNBA fans, Lexie Hull consumes a lot of Caitlin Clark content.  

Any time Clark breaks a record, says something interesting or, like, sneezes, Hull is made aware.  

But when Hull, Clark and Katie Lou Samuelson traveled with their boyfriends (in Samuelson’s case, husband) to Mexico for a much-needed beach vacation during the WNBA Olympic break, Hull learned something new about Clark.  

The No. 1 pick of the 2024 draft and the overwhelming favorite to win Rookie of the Year is . . . funny.  

Goofy, even. A prankster.  

“She loves to stir up some trouble, that’s for sure. If you need a laugh, she’ll get it done for you,” Hull told USA TODAY Sports.  

Read full story here. 

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