Alyssa Thomas recorded her WNBA-record 15th career triple-double and fourth in the postseason as the Connecticut Sun overwhelmed the Indiana Fever for a 93-69 win in Uncasville, Conn., on Sunday in the opener of a best-of-three, first-round playoff series.
Thomas finished with 12 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds, and Marina Mabrey led all scorers with a game-high 27 points off the Connecticut bench. Mabrey shot 5 of 12 from 3-point range, knocking down almost as many shots from beyond the arc as Indiana (6 of 28) had as a team.
Indiana star Caitlin Clark, introduced as the unanimous 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year, was 4 of 17 from the floor, including 2 of 13 from 3-point range, and went to the foul line just twice (1-for-2) for 11 total points. She also had a team-high eight assists.
Fever teammate Kelsey Mitchell had 21 points but was just 2 of 10 from distance, and center Aliyah Boston had a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
Connecticut’s DeWanna Bonner was 7-of-11 shooting from the floor for 22 points. She grabbed six rebounds and dished out five assists. DiJonai Carrington added 14 points and five rebounds.
After a closely contested first half, the Sun began to create some distance midway through the third quarter. After Clark knocked down a 3-pointer that pulled the Fever within six points, Connecticut responded with a 13-4 run over the ensuing three-plus minutes, building a double-digit lead that ballooned throughout the fourth quarter.
For the game, Connecticut shot 9 of 18 from 3-point range and 36 of 73 overall (49.3 percent). Indiana was 27 of 67 from the field (40.3 percent).
The loss spoiled Indiana’s first playoff game since 2016, when its coach was Stephanie White, who now coaches the Sun.
The Fever surged in the second half of the regular season, but they lost the regular-season series with Connecticut 3-1. The Fever’s 69 points on Sunday marked their lowest total in five meetings with the Sun this year.
The Sun host the Fever on Wednesday, with Game 3, if necessary, on Friday in Indianapolis.
–Field Level Media
