The Indiana Fever couldn’t conjure any comeback magic against the Las Vegas Aces on Saturday.
The Fever erased an 11-point deficit against the Los Angeles Sparks on Friday to win their first game of the season. Indiana found themselves down big again on Saturday against the reigning two-time champion Aces at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas, but this time the Fever weren’t able to rally back.
A’ja Wilson led the Aces to a 99-80 victory over the Fever with 29 points, 15 rebounds and two assists, marking Wilson’s 80th career double-double. The Fever drop to 1-6 on the season, while the Aces improve to 3-1.
Caitlin Clark finished the contest with eight points, shooting 3-of-7 from the field and 2-of-5 from three. She also had seven assists and five rebounds, in addition to six turnovers. Kelsey Mitchell (16 points), Temi Fagbenle (13 points, 8 rebounds) and Aaliyah Boston (12 points, six rebounds) all scored double figures.
ACES-FEVER HIGHLIGHTS:A’ja Wilson steals show against Caitlin Clark
The Fever were hanging with the Aces in the first half of the contest − even leading by as many as six points − but Indiana’s rigorous schedule appeared to catch up to them in the end. Clark had her hands on her knees at one point during the fourth quarter. Saturday’s matchup was the second straight road game for the Fever in as many days and the team’s sixth game in 10 days. The Aces, on the other hand, last played on Tuesday.
“It is a long road trip,” said Lexie Hull, who had 12 points and two rebounds off the bench. “We’ve played the most games out of any team so far. Our schedule hasn’t been easy.”
Boston added: “We’re definitely excited to go home. It’s been hard being on the road like this and playing the teams we have, but we are going to be prepared for what’s to come.”
Saturday marked the reunion of Clark and former Iowa teammate and roommate Kate Martin, who had a career-high 12 points, seven rebounds and a block off the bench. Former Iowa women’s basketball head coach Lisa Blunder and new head coach Jan Jensen were both in attendance for their first WNBA game against each other.
For the Aces, Jackie Young added 22 point and six assists, while Kelsey Plum nearly had a double-double with 20 points and seven assists.
“It’s really cool. Our former college coaches are sitting courts right next to the bench,” Martin said about the matchup, adding that it was “weird” playing against Clark. “I’m not going to lie. Me looking on the court and seeing her in a different jersey than me was really different … but we are both living out our dreams.”
Earlier Saturday, Clark and Martin hugged on the court and Clark was very complimentary of her former teammate.
“Kate is obviously my best friend and somebody that was with me all four years at Iowa. I was the person that had to beg her to come back for her sixth year, so I’m sure she doesn’t regret that at this point,” Clark said ahead of the game. “We’ve talked every single day … I’m really happy for her … She’s the ultimate teammate. She’s the ultimate person and the ultimate leader. She’s going to do whatever she can for her team. Just a super unselfish person and honestly she’s just a winner.”
Martin was drafted by the Aces with the 18th overall pick of 2024 WNBA draft. Martin attended the draft ceremony in support of Clark, the No. 1 overall pick, before she was selected by the Aces from the audience.
