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June 29 2024
Indiana Fever: The Indiana Fever and their star player Caitlin Clark are eagerly looking forward to the upcoming Olympic break in Seattle, which is now just 24 days away. The team is looking forward to this much-needed break to catch their breath and refocus for the challenges ahead.
If you've been wondering why the Fever have gotten so many top picks the past few years — Clark at No. 1 in 2024, Aliyah Boston at No. 1 in 2023, NaLyssa Smith at No. 2 in 2022 — it became clear Thursday. The Indiana team appeared to be stuck at the bottom of the table, and its players looked quite disappointed. Seattle's 89-77 win wasn't as close as the score suggests.
The Storm have five-time All-Star and last season's scoring champion Jewell Loyd. The Storm are talented, but their roster is almost entirely new.
For a while Thursday, Seattle looked like a group that has been playing together for years — Indiana’s defense makes that possible. Seattle shot 47.5% from the field and 57.1% from 3 in the first half. Loyd rocked the scoreboard, scoring 23 points in just 15 minutes against the Fever. Nneka Ogwumike almost hit a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds, putting in a solid performance in just 15 minutes of play. She got her double-double just 36 seconds into the second half, and two other Storm players also scored in double figures.
And that was only the beginning of what turned out to be an action-packed first half-hour.
"It never felt great out there," Clark admitted. "It just didn't feel like the game was going well."
Lloyd scored 34 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Four other Storm players scored seven or more points.
The Fever really need to put in some serious practice time.
Indiana coach Christy Sides remarked, "There's still so much more for us to learn." "That's what it is. Dealing with outside pressures and distractions isn't easy, but staying connected as a team, pushing forward, and always looking for ways to get better is crucial. Indiana found some positives on Thursday.
Temy Fagbenle, who missed the previous 11 games after suffering a foot injury on May 28, returned and, even in limited time (19 minutes), looked like the player who had built a solid and promising relationship with Clarke over the first few weeks of the season. Fagbenle finished the match with eight points and seven rebounds, making a significant contribution to the team effort.
Boston played brilliantly, grabbing 14 rebounds.
And Clark (15 points, seven assists and six rebounds) played great as usual, hitting the logo 3, throwing a great behind-the-back pass -- Smith couldn't score -- and generally delighting the crowd with her play.
But she also had to endure a lot of jostling, and spent a good portion of the first quarter on the floor. She was clearly frustrated by the lack of calls and the team's lack of cohesion.
"Nobody likes to lose," Clarke said gloomily afterward. "We've already lost 12 games, and we haven't even reached the halfway mark of our season. We're not going to walk around the court smiling. Finding a competitive edge while staying positive is a tough job. We can definitely get better at that."
The Fever missed too many open chances and couldn't convert any of their own. Seattle made the most of their rivals' 22 turnovers, turning each one into 27 points on the scoreboard. The Storm really took charge on fast breaks, tallying up 17 points, while Indiana struggled to keep up, only managing four.
Clark said in the pregame that she thinks the Fever have improved a lot since their last trip to the Emerald City, an 85-83 loss on May 22 that relied on a final shot (Indiana missed an inbounds pass to Clark and couldn't get the chance). But everyone else has improved, too.
The Fever are still far behind, with a young core that hasn't figured out how to win against the league's best players.
The WNBA is taking a four-week break while Team USA heads to Paris to go for their eighth consecutive gold medal. Most teams will give players a week to 10 days off to vacation, then get in the gym and start practicing.
The Fever are counting down the days.
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