- The Indiana Fever hosted the Golden State Valkyries, and Caitlin Clark returned, during Wednesday afternoon’s kids camp game.
All was well to start in Caitlin Clark‘s return to the Indiana Fever after missing the previous five games with a groin injury, but all didn’t end well.
The Fever led by nine points in the first quarter, but then only scored nine points in a dismal second quarter as the Golden State Valkyries raced to a 80-61 win thereafter. The Valkyries took the lead for good in the second quarter and raced out to a 15-point lead just 53 seconds into the second half.
The Fever fought to get themselves within five at 55-50 in the third quarter, but the Valkyries scored nine straight points to build the lead back up to 14 before Kelsey Mitchell got to the free-throw line with 3.2 seconds left in the frame.
They debuted a new starting lineup, which included Clark and Mitchell, as Aari McDonald stuck in the Fever’s first five. It sent Lexie Hull to the bench, though she was the first player to enter off the bench, and allowed the Fever to play at a blistering pace with three guards.
But the Valkyries quickly found a counter with a larger lineup, and one that could space the floor with their 3-point shooting.
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Kate Martin stays perfect against Iowa teammate, friend Caitlin Clark
Kate Martin was a key expansion draft pick for the Valkyries, who in their first season are 2-0 against the Fever. The former Iowa teammates and good friends have now met four times since joining the WNBA. And Martin’s teams have beaten the Fever each time.
Martin played her first season with the Las Vegas Aces. There she averaged 2.6 points and 1.6 rebounds in 11.5 minutes per contest after being selected sixth in the second round of the WNBA draft. She had 12 points and seven rebounds in the Aces’ 99-80 win over the Fever. She did not score in 11 minutes in an 88-69 victory.
Buy IndyStar’s book on Caitlin Clark’s rookie season!She then was picked by the Valkyries and entered Wednesday’s game averaging 7.4 points and 2.6 rebounds in 17.5 minutes per game. She came off the bench and had nine points and five rebounds in 20 minutes in Golden State’s 88-77 win over the Fever.
Here’s the full box score from Wednesday’s game:
Indiana Fever vs Golden State Valkyries stats, box score
Fever stats: How many points did Caitlin Clark score?
NameMinFG3FGFTRebAstPtsCaitlin Clark254-122-50-05610Natasha Howard161-40-02-2224Aliyah Boston272-80-12-2626Kelsey Mitchell303-131-55-63012Aari McDonald272-91-72-2147Lexie Hull242-71-40-0915Sophie Cunningham211-31-30-0303Mikayla Timpson205-90-00-06010Damiris Dantas91-30-22-2104Sydney Colson20-00-00-0000Team—21-68 (30.9%)6-27 (22.2%)13-14 (92.9%)361561
Valkyries stats: How many points did Kate Martin score?
NameMinFG3FGFTRebAstPtsKate Martin192-71-40-0205Kayla Thornton274-154-106-88218Temi Pagbenle192-40-13-4527Tiffany Hayes283-60-10-0826Veronica Burton346-115-64-68621Carla Leite131-60-53-3005Monique Billings122-41-10-0205Janelle Salaun252-110-30-0714Kaitlyn Chen142-31-10-0135Laeticia Amihere102-30-00-0624TEAM—26-70 (37.1%)12-32 (37.5%)16-21 (76.2%)471880
Fever vs Valkyries score by quarter
TeamQ1Q2Q3Q4—TotalValkyries (10-9)21202316—80Fever (9-10)2391910—61
Indiana Fever schedule: When do Caitlin Clark, Fever play next?
The Fever again play at Gainbridge Fieldhouse as they host the Atlanta Dream at 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 11.
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