Despite the Indiana Fever’s narrow 92-91 defeat to the Washington Mystics on Thursday night, rookie sensation Caitlin Clark made history once again. An impressive turnout of 20,711 fans attended the game at Capital One Arena, setting a new record for the highest attendance at a WNBA regular-season game.
Clark contributed eight points and eight assists in 20 minutes on the court, shooting 2-of-5 with two three-pointers. She played less in the second half, as the Fever had already secured a playoff spot on September 4. Heading into their last regular-season game, the Fever held a record of 20-19 and were assured of the No. 6 seed.
The attendance for Thursday’s game surpassed the previous regular-season record of 20,674, which had been achieved four times during the 1998 and 1999 seasons. The Mystics usually play at the Entertainment & Sports Arena, which holds just 4,200 fans, but the game was moved to accommodate the expected large crowd drawn by Clark’s presence.
Washington is not alone in adjusting to larger venues for games against Indiana; the Las Vegas Aces previously hosted the Fever at T-Mobile Arena for a July 2 matchup, attracting 20,366 fans and marking the highest regular-season single-game attendance since 1999. Indiana has also seen a surge in spectators at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, where they set a new WNBA home attendance record during the 2024 season.