Caitlin Clark has seemingly reached another level of excellence in the second half of the WNBA season.
The standout rookie had nearly a month off from games as the top players competed in the Olympics. The break has been extremely beneficial for the All-Star guard.
In her first game back, Clark had 29 points, 10 assists, and five rebounds, shooting 8-of-16 from the field in a 98-89 win against the Mercury. She followed that up with a 23-point, nine-assist game against an impressive Storm team.
Clark and the Fever carried a two-game win streak into a road matchup against the Lynx, but their hot stretch cooled off. MVP candidate Napheesa Collier was too much for Indiana's frontcourt to handle, going for 31 points, five rebounds, one assists, one block and one steal.
Clark and the Fever are still in the WNBA Playoff hunt despite the loss. They sit in seventh place, 2.5 games back from the Mercury in sixth, 1.5 games ahead of the Sky in eighth and 2.5 games up on the Dream, who are the first team out of the picture.
How did Clark perform in the loss? The Sporting News tracked her stats from the Fever vs. Lynx matchup below.
MORE: Explaining the ups and downs of Caitlin Clark's rookie season
Caitlin Clark stats vs. Minnesota Lynx
Final: Lynx 90, Fever 80
- Points: 23
- Rebounds: 5
- Assists: 8
- Steals: 1
- Blocks: 0
- TOs: 7
- Fouls: 4
- FG: 8-18
- 3FG: 3-8
- FT: 4-4
MORE: How Kim Mulkey was right about Caitlin Clark
Caitlin Clark highlights vs. Minnesota Lynx
Clark got out to a slow shooting start against the Lynx but started to find her rhythm in the second quarter.
She knocked down a smooth midrange jumper to build up some confidence...
Caitlin Clark pulls up, nothing but net 🎯
— WNBA (@WNBA) August 25, 2024
📱 IND-MIN | Unlocked on the WNBA App, courtesy of @CarMax pic.twitter.com/8bYIWqIHSK
...then hit a triple off a handoff from Aliyah Boston.
Caitlin Clark finding her rhythm in the 2Q 🔥
— WNBA (@WNBA) August 25, 2024
📱 IND-MIN | Unlocked on the WNBA App, courtesy of @CarMax pic.twitter.com/XDd9G8W1Uv
Clark had a couple of shots blocked by the Lynx's frontcourt but finally broke through for an and-one late in the half as Indiana mounted a comeback...
Caitlin called AND-1 🗣️
— WNBA (@WNBA) August 25, 2024
Bucket, foul, crowd goes wild!
📱 IND-MIN | Unlocked on the WNBA App, courtesy of @CarMax pic.twitter.com/pyDPtE659g
... then knocked down her second 3-pointer of the game to cut Minnesota's lead to just one point going into the break.
Clark only scored eight points after halftime. She hit a tough stepback 3-pointer and dished out four more assists but couldn't produce enough to complete the comeback.
Step back triple NASTY 😤
— WNBA (@WNBA) August 25, 2024
Caitlin Clark is up to 18 PTS through 3Qs
📱 IND-MIN | Unlocked on the WNBA App, courtesy of @CarMax pic.twitter.com/8DOmBRP6n1
The Lynx pulled away late in the fourth quarter, becoming the third team to clinch a spot in the WNBA Playoffs.