In first season matchup between Bueckers and Clark, Indiana Fever win 102-83 over Dallas Wings
Caitlin Clark had 14 points, 13 assists and a career-high-tying five steals, Kelsey Mitchell scored 20 points and the Indiana Fever beat rookie Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings 102-83 on Sunday in the first matchup between the past two No. 1 overall picks in the WNBA draft.
Bueckers made 9 of 15 from the field and finished with 21 points, four rebounds and four assists.
Clark, on a minutes restriction in her third game back from lower-body injuries, had her second career game with at least 10 points, 10 assists and five steals and became just the fifth player in WNBA history with multiple such games.
The Fever had a franchise-record-tying 30 assists.
Indiana (11-10) scored 64 first-half points — the most in a half in the WNBA this season — to take an 18-point lead into halftime. Aari McDonald hit a 3-pointer that gave the Fever the lead for good 33 seconds into the second quarter — the first of their 36 points in the period on 16-of-21 shooting.
Li Yueru scored 16 points on 8-of-11 shooting, JJ Quinerly added 13 and Aziaha James 11 for the Wings (6-16). Arike Ogunbowale returned from a thumb injury and went 0 for 10 from the field and finished with two points.
Natasha Howard had 18 points, Aliyah Boston scored 17 and Sophie Cunningham 13 for Indiana.
Bueckers and Clark to face off again at the AAC in Dallas
The Dallas Wings have officially moved their Aug. 1 game against the Indiana Fever to the American Airlines Center in Dallas for a second time, after the record-breaking attendance for their first match-up of the season last month.
The Wings and Fever played in front of a star-studded crowd of 20,409 on June 27 at the AAC, establishing a franchise regular-season record for Dallas and becoming just the eighth regular-season game in WNBA history to be played in front of more than 20,000 fans.
The Wings took a lead in the fourth quarter after trailing by 23 in the first half, but couldn't overcome 26% shooting in the first 10 minutes. Ultimately, Indiana held on to a 94-86 victory over Dallas.
Now, two games down against the Fever, the Wings will look to avenge those losses in front of another 20,000-plus crowd.