SEATTLE — The decisive defeat Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever endured to open the WNBA season was easier to handle than the previous two setbacks, both of which were decided by a combined six points.
Jewell Lloyd scored 21 of his 32 points in the first half, Sami Whitcomb scored all 10 of his points in the fourth quarter, and the Seattle Storm lost two days after Indiana lost 88-84 to the Connecticut Sun. They held off Clark and the Fever 85-83 on Wednesday night.
“Those two guys definitely hurt the most. We’re six points away from being 2-3 instead of 0-5,” Clark said. “It’s so close and there are so many examples of going back and watching film and the little things that are easy to fix or clean up that are going to go a really long way.”
Lloyd, the WNBA’s leading scorer last year, overcame an early-season slump to score over 30 points for the 22nd time in her career.
Lloyd and Whitcomb scored 18 of Seattle’s 27 points in the fourth quarter, and the Storm (2-3) needed to hold off a late comeback to keep the Fever (0-5) winless. We needed all these points.
“I cleared my head. I felt good coming into today’s game. … I reset, changed my routine a little bit, got into a little bit of rhythm,” Lloyd said.
Clark finished with a team-high 21 points, two days after spraining his left ankle in a home win over Connecticut.
She struggled early against Seattle, but sparked a comeback in the third quarter and helped the Fever lead 60-58 going into the fourth quarter.
It was a time when she looked like the Clark we all knew when she was named Player of the Year at the University of Iowa.
“I’m still in the process of learning when to be assertive,” Clark said. “If you start running when it’s a little cold, it can be tough.”
Seattle led by as many as seven points early in the fourth quarter.
Clark made three free throws with 1:50 left to put the Fever within 79-77, but Seattle pulled away on consecutive baskets from Jordan Holston and Edji Magbegor.
The final minute was filled with contentious calls and multiple official reviews.
Clark’s two free throws put the Fever up 84-83. Seattle committed a turnover with 11 seconds left, giving Indiana a chance to win.
The Fever lost to the Storm in a quarter. Getty Images
Clark stumbled on the inbounds pass and the jump ball was controlled by Nneka Ogwumike, who hit one of two free throws.
Indiana ran out of timeouts and could only get a desperate attempt from Aliyah Boston off the line at the buzzer.
Ogwumike added 22 points after missing the past two games with an ankle injury.
“Today was one of those days where I knew I had to get over some things,” Ogwumike said. “I pride myself on being efficient in all aspects.”
Most of the sellout crowd of 18,343, the largest for a Seattle game, were wearing the Storm’s green and gold uniforms, but a few were wearing Clark’s No. 22 jersey or shirt from Indiana and Iowa.
She was last in the venue during the 2023 women’s NCAA tournament, where she had a stellar performance, including a triple-double in the regional final, leading Iowa to the Final Four.
Clark missed his first four shots but scored on a baseline drive early in the second quarter.
Her first 3-point shot didn’t come until midway through the third quarter, when she made 6 of 16 shots, including 2 of 8 from behind the arc.
Seattle rookie Nika Muhl made her debut with Seattle after missing the first four games of the season due to visa issues.
Mule checked in late in the third quarter to enthusiastic applause, only to see Clark take a 3-pointer over her head.
