Caitlin Clark will be at Target Center when Maya Moore retires her jersey
The Indiana Fever star idolized the former UConn and WNBA star in his youth.
MINNEAPOLIS – The Indiana Fever lost their rematch against the Minnesota Lynx 90-80 on Saturday night at Target Center, ending Indiana’s two-game winning streak.
The Lynx secured a playoff spot with the win, while the Fever slipped to 13-16 this season. Indiana is still seventh in the WNBA standings, ahead of the Sky, who are 11-17.
“Speed and passes”: Lynx coach reveals Caitlin Clark’s biggest assets for Fever
Here are three observations:
Fieber can’t hold a candle to MVP candidate Napheesa Collier
The Fever’s first time at Target Center, they pulled off a convincing win over one of the league’s top three teams. This was part of a turnaround for the Fever, who are now firmly in the playoffs.
It was a good win for the Fever – a surprise victory that gave them new momentum. However, Napheesa Collier, the Lynx’s best player and a candidate for league MVP, was out with a foot injury.
This time, she was fully healthy — and it didn’t even look like it was her third game in four days. Collier had just put up 23 points and 18 rebounds to lead the Lynx to a win over the Las Vegas Aces, and she had even more to offer on Saturday.
Collier stalled the Fever defense, and the coaching staff sent several players after the Lynx star. No one could contain her, and she scored 31 points on 12-of-18 shooting in 35 minutes to lead Minnesota to a 10-point victory.
Temi Fagbenle returns to the rotation
After two consecutive injuries, Temi Fagbenle is close to returning for Fever
The athletic striker worked her way into the Fever’s starting lineup before her injury and provides additional depth in the fight for the playoffs.
Fever striker Temi Fagbenle started the season with a lot of potential – she impressed as a participant in the training camp, earned a place in the squad and then made it into the starting line-up early in the season.
Then she injured her foot and had to sit out for a month. Immediately after recovering from her foot injury, she injured her thumb and had to sit out just three games later. In total, Fagbenle had only played 11 games as of Saturday.
Finally she was able to reach 12.
She had a bandage on her right thumb, but that didn’t stop her from immediately making an impact on defense. The Fever’s defense was much better when Fagbenle and backup center Damiris Dantas were on the court. They overcame a 12-point first-quarter deficit and went into halftime trailing by just one point.
Fagbenle, who had taken over NaLyssa Smith’s starting spot before her injury, quickly cut into Smith’s playing time. Smith still started, but ended up playing just 10 minutes. Fagbenle played 16 minutes in her return from injury, sinking 2 of 4 shots and grabbing five rebounds.
Lexie Hull gets a lot of minutes as a substitute
Fever guard Lexie Hull has always been known as the Fever’s defensive maestro, usually taking on the toughest defensive assignments. But Hull made her mark on offense last Sunday, making 6 of 7 three-pointers for a career-high 22 points in a win over the Storm.
Almost a week later, that meant more playing time for the third-year guard.
Hull ended up playing 25 minutes at the 3 against the Lynx on Saturday; regular Katie Lou Samuelson needed a few minutes to get going against her, playing just 14 minutes.
Hull continued to be a defensive threat by always keeping her hands in her opponents’ faces, primarily guarding Collier and Lynx guard Kayla McBride. Several people, including Smith and Fagbenle, were also tasked with guarding Collier on Saturday night.
How many points did Caitlin Clark score against Lynx?
On Saturday night, Clark became the first rookie and fastest player in WNBA history to reach over 500 points and over 200 assists in her career.
Clark finished the game with 23 points (8 of 18 shots), eight assists, five rebounds and seven turnovers.
