Clark, Fever to vie for Cup after physical win

INDIANAPOLIS -- Caitlin Clark had 20 points, six assists and 4 3-pointers and the Indiana Fever bushed the Connecticut Sun 88-71 connected Tuesday nighttime successful a carnal crippled that included 3 precocious ejections.

With 46.1 seconds near successful the 4th quarter, Connecticut defender Jacy Sheldon made a bargain and raced the different mode earlier being wrapped up by Sophie Cunningham nether the handbasket for a hard foul. Sheldon got up quicky and got into a shoving lucifer with Cunningham, starring to Cunningham, Sheldon and Lindsay Allen each getting ejected.

Sheldon was besides the halfway of different authoritative reappraisal successful the 3rd 4th aft she poked Clark successful the oculus and past Marina Mabrey came successful precocious to shove Clark to the floor. Three method fouls were called, starring to Clark's 3 escaped throws for a 58-45 lead.

The Indiana win, combined with an Atlanta nonaccomplishment to New York, secured the Fever's spot successful the Commissioner's Cup with a 4-1 record. The Fever held the tiebreaker with the Liberty aft a 102-88 triumph connected Saturday.

Kelsey Mitchell added 17 points and Natasha Howard had 16 points and 12 rebounds for Indiana (6-5), which went supra .500 for the archetypal clip since the 3rd crippled of the season. Damiris Dantas scored a season-high 13 and Howard secured her 50th vocation double-double.

Tina Charles led Connecticut (2-9) with 20 points. Olivia Nelson-Ododa added 14 points and Jaelyn Brown scored 13.

Clark, who returned from an wounded connected Saturday to marque 7 3-pointers against New York, made her archetypal 3 3-pointers against the Sun and scored 12 points successful the archetypal fractional to assistance Indiana physique a 47-39 lead.

Connecticut was wrong 50-43 with 8:15 remaining successful the 3rd 4th but did not marque different tract extremity until the 2:49 people to way by 12 points.

Clark's 4th 3-pointer made it 84-64.