Only one was missing. A little bounce so that Caitlin Clark ends the match with her first career triple-double and becomes the first rookie to achieve such a performance. But the most important thing is elsewhere, the Fever won against the Mercury (88-82) with 15 points, including a 3-pt from the logo, 12 assists and 9 rebounds from its young star.
“I’m just happy we won”, says a relieved Caitlin Clark. “It was cool to play against Taurasi, and obviously to play a really good game. That crowd was absolutely incredible.”
However, the Fever's victory was not easy. Caitlin Clark's teammates had a hard time getting into their game. They were down 11 points at halftime, and that even went up to -15 during the second half.
But the Fever inflicted a 17-0 on the Mercury to come back into the match in the 3rd quarter to win. “Faced with the challenge, we raised our level of play. I couldn’t be more proud of my entire team,” reacted Christie Sides.
Diana Taurasi praises the Fever rookie
This match was also the first confrontation between the legend Diana Taurasi and Caitlin Clark. The 2004 rookie of the year, who is in her 20th season, did not fail to congratulate the number 1 of the 2024 Draft.
“It’s amazing what Caitlin has been able to do in her short career so far.”says Diana Taurasi. “The thing I really like about her is she loves the game. You can see she puts in the work. There’s been a lot of pressure, she’s been through a lot, but she keeps coming back and she’s getting better every game.”
Despite a tense match with two technical fouls attributed to both sides, Diana Taurasi, fair play, was full of praise for the Fever.
“This is a team that for the past few years has been trying to return to its glory days with Tamika Catchings and trying to raise a banner,” concludes Diana Taurasi. “I think what Clark is doing for this team right now is pretty impressive.”
