Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston Lead Fever to Fourth-Quarter Comeback Over Lynx in Latest Impressive Win
Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston the Indiana Fever continued their mid-season resurgence with a thrilling comeback win over the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday afternoon, triumphing 81-74. Trailing by seven points as they entered the fourth quarter, the Fever outpaced the Lynx 28-14 in the final 10 minutes to clinch the victory.
“Defense was the key to our win,” said Clark, who concluded the game with 17 points, three rebounds, and six assists. “We’ve won every game where we kept our opponents under 84 points, and today they only scored 74. Even though our shooting wasn’t the best, we found a way to win. We’re resilient. We entered the final quarter down by seven and just battled.”
Aliyah Boston made her prescence felt early against the Minnesota Lynx and it carried over throughout the duration of the game 😤
Boston knocked in 17 PTS, grabbed a career-high 16 REB including 5 o-boards, propelling the @IndianaFever to the 81-74 victory #WelcometotheW pic.twitter.com/HNJWicYcpO
— WNBA (@WNBA) July 14, 2024
Earlier in the season, defense had been a significant weakness for the Fever. Despite a tough schedule, they consistently struggled on that end, allowing a league-worst 111.7 points per 100 possessions during their 3-10 start. However, their recent performances have shown marked improvement, with Sunday’s fourth quarter serving as further evidence. The Lynx shot just 4-of-13 from the field and committed three turnovers in the final period, finding nothing easy down the stretch. In the last 30 seconds, Kelsey Mitchell delivered a crucial block on Alanna Smith, preserving the Fever’s narrow three-point lead.
While their defensive effort was impressive, the Fever also needed to score to complete their comeback. The trio of Clark, Aliyah Boston, and Mitchell ensured that happened. After a challenging first three quarters, Clark dominated the fourth, contributing 10 points, two rebounds, two assists, and no turnovers. She was directly involved in more points (15) than the entire Lynx team in the final frame, including a perfect assist to Boston that put the Fever ahead for good. Mitchell added nine points in the fourth quarter, including the game-sealing free throws, and finished with a total of 21 points.
Boston also delivered one of her best performances of the season. She tallied 17 points, a career-high 16 rebounds, and four blocks, shooting 8-of-11 from the field. “She’s just tremendous,” Clark remarked. “She dominates. We probably should have gotten her the ball more, but they defended her well. She’s only going to get better. I’m super proud of her.”
The Fever have now won three of their last four games, defeating top teams like the first-place New York Liberty, fourth-place Lynx, and sixth-place Phoenix Mercury. Over the past month, they’ve posted an 8-4 record, tied for the third-best in the league during that period.
WHAT A PLAY BY KELSEY MITCHELL AND SAVE BY ALIYAH BOSTON 💪
The back side help, the block, the RELENTLESSNESS
📺ESPN pic.twitter.com/nFfnj852vH
— WNBA (@WNBA) July 14, 2024
Despite their 11-14 season record, the Fever sit in seventh place, holding a 2.5-game lead over the ninth-place Atlanta Dream. With a potential playoff appearance on the horizon, the Fever aim to end their postseason drought, which has persisted since 2016, the longest active streak in the league.
Comments