INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Fever fell to the Las Vegas Aces 78-74 on Friday night, marking their second consecutive loss to the defending champions in the most competitive matchup of their season series. With this defeat, the Fever’s record stands at 19-19, placing them sixth in the playoff standings.
This season, the Fever have been swept 4-0 by the Aces, who are now the only team that Indiana has yet to defeat. Despite the sweep, the Fever have shown significant improvement compared to their last season, where they managed only five wins. During Friday’s game, the Fever made a late push, closing the gap to just one point in the fourth quarter, but ultimately fell short.
In July, the Fever managed to avoid being swept by other top contenders, including the New York Liberty, Connecticut Sun, and Minnesota Lynx, securing at least one victory against each.
Caitlin Clark, despite a quiet first half with no points at halftime, marked a milestone night by breaking the WNBA single-season assists record. During her limited first-half minutes, she tallied six assists, with the record-setting 317th assist coming from an inbound pass to Kelsey Mitchell. Clark’s achievement surpassed the previous record held by Alyssa Thomas of the Connecticut Sun.
Although Clark faced some challenges due to early fouls and was limited to just 14 minutes in the first half, she rebounded strong in the second half, scoring 18 points along with nine assists and eight rebounds.
The game was physical, with both teams accumulating a significant number of fouls. Clark was called for her sixth technical foul of the season, raising concerns as she is now one technical foul away from a suspension before the regular season concludes. Several other players, including Fever center Aliyah Boston, also faced physical play but managed to continue.
Kelsey Mitchell’s performance was crucial in keeping the Fever competitive, as she scored 19 points in the first half, contributing significantly to the team’s effort to stay in the game. Ultimately, the Fever’s ability to play their preferred up-tempo style was hindered by continual stoppages and fouls, but they managed to narrow the score with a strong third quarter.