INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Fever closed out their preseason with a victory, 83-80, over the Atlanta Dream on Thursday night.
Indiana will now turn its attention to the start of the regular season on May 14 at Connecticut.
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Here are three observations:
Caitlin Clark nears a triple-double
The Fever rookie sensation showed just why she gets all the hype in her second WNBA preseason game.
She struggled with her shooting in the first quarter, going 2-for-6 from the field and 0-for-3 from the 3-point range. But Clark found other ways to contribute, racking up four assists in the first nine minutes.
She facilitated for her teammates throughout the game, and she is already coming near something she specialized in during her college career: a triple-double. She recorded 17 triple-doubles in her four-years at Iowa, which is second in Division I women’s basketball history behind Sabrina Ionescu’s 26.
It wouldn’t have counted in the WNBA’s official stat book, anyway, but Clark finished the game with 12 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
Before Friday night, the last time Fever forward Katie Lou Samuelson played in a WNBA game was 2022. While signed to the Los Angeles Sparks, the 26-year-old did not play in the 2023 WNBA season because she had a 𝚋𝚊𝚋𝚢 girl in August.
After signing with the Fever this past offseason, Samuelson was primed to make her debut last Friday against Dallas, but a late ankle injury during pregame warmups kept her out.
Tonight, she finally made that anticipated debut.
She had to shake off some rust in the first half, as she only scored one point off of a free-throw shot. The anticipated Fever starter settled in during the third quarter, though, sinking two 3-pointers and a layup off of her own steal. She ended with 11 points, three rebounds and two steals.
Young guard trio turns around second quarter
When second-year guard Grace Berger checked into the game three minutes into the second quarter, the Fever were down by 15 points. Berger’s inclusion was in addition to a duo of rookie guards in Caitlin Clark and Celeste Taylor, as well as second-year Aliyah Boston and third-year NaLyssa Smith.
They were going up against a seasoned, veteran Dream lineup that included Aerial Powers and Tina Charles. Still, it didn’t faze them.
Berger had four assists in the first four minutes she was on the court, and finished the half with four points, five assists and three rebounds in seven minutes. Clark, who started the game, had eight points and five assists by halftime. Taylor put up six points, including a putback at the buzzer to erase that 15-point deficit to one.
All in all, that trio spurred the Fever on a 22-8 run over the final seven minutes of the half, putting Indiana back in contention for the game. While Clark is all but guaranteed to make the team, as well, it was a strong showing for Berger and Taylor in the final days of training camp.
How many points did Caitlin Clark score?
Clark scored 12 points in her second preseason WNBA game. While it was lower than her preseason-opener of 21 against the Dallas Wings, Clark had a more balanced game against the Dream with eight rebounds and six assists.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Caitlin Clark nears triple-double as Fever beat Dream in preseason
