Natasha Howard and Kelsey Mitchell spoiled the Dream’s home opener as the two combined for 43 of the Indiana Fever’s 81 points to secure an 81-76 victory Thursday in front of a sold-out crowd inside State Farm Arena.
With the loss, the Dream (1-2) split the series with Indiana (2-1) this week as they defeated Indiana on Tuesday.
Fever sensation Caitlin Clark was held to just 11 points and six assists, shooting 4-for-11 from the field. She finished 0-of-5 from 3-point range, the first time in her WNBA career she failed to make a 3-point shot.
According to The Associated Press, this ended a streak of 140 games, including the WNBA regular season and playoffs, and the bulk of her college career at Iowa, with at least one 3. The last time Clark was held without a 3 was Jan. 13, 2022, when she went 0 for 6 against Purdue during her sophomore season.
Rhyne Howard finished with 24 points, followed by Brionna Jones with 15 points, 11 rebounds, while Te-Hina Paopao and Allisha Gray added 11 points respectively. The Dream finished the game shooting 44.6% from the floor (33-of-74) and 18-of-23 from the free throw line.
Brittney Griner, who fouled out late in the fourth quarter, was limited to 5 points and seven rebounds in the contest.
Trailing 63-58 entering the fourth quarter, Gray — who was limited to 2 points in the first half — ignited the Dream’s offense, converting a layup on a center cut to the rim and a mid-range jumper to bring the deficit to 1 with 6:24 to play in regulation. The two teams exchanged baskets over the next several possessions before Howard nailed a step-back 3-pointer to give the Dream a 71-68 lead.
After Griner picked her sixth foul with 3:38 to play, Clark added a pair of free throws to tie the game at 71. The Dream responded as Gray added a putback and a pair of free throws, giving them a 75-71 advantage.
However, a basket by Howard — who finished with 26 points — and a Mitchell 3-pointer put the Fever up 76-75. From there, Indiana never looked back, adding free throws to seal the victory.
While the Dream put much of its attention on limiting Clark, the Fever hurt the Dream in points in the paint (46-20), second chance points (15-2) and bench points (22-10).
“They’re (Fever) really good at attacking the rim,” said Dream head coach Karl Smesko. “… We were really geared up on trying to limit what Caitlin (Clark) could do. So we weren’t going to help there and there’s a little bit more space for their attackers. (Natasha) Howard did a great job of cutting on that penetration, and we were a little slow with our rotations. … With all that being said, we’re right there at the end.”
Jones, who had her third double-double of the season, agreed. “Knowing our defensive assignments and playing off each other,” she added. “We’re still a new team coming together and learning each other. … We’re going to get better.”
After going up 46-38 following Howard’s turnaround jumper, the Dream began to find a rhythm, putting together an 8-0 run that included consecutive 3-pointers from Paopao to tie the game at 46 midway through the third quarter. The two teams continued to exchange baskets over the final five minutes of the period, with Indiana making a concerted effort to dominate the Dream in the paint mainly behind Howard’s ability to finish around the rim.
By the end of the third, Griner was on the bench with five fouls, something that hurt the Dream’s interior defensive presence and helped Indiana maintain a 61-58 lead.
“You are missing a big piece with BG (Griner) going out, but we still have to stay aggressive,” Howard said. “It’s tough with her going out but we still have too many (offensive) threats to be focused on her going out.”
The Fever opened the second quarter with a 11-1 run that included a step-back jumper from Mitchell — who finished with 9 points in the quarter — to give Indiana its first lead of the contest with 7:20 to play.
“It’s hard to stay in front of Mitchell,” Smesko said. “She’s an all-star level player.”
While the Dream continued their shooting woes, the Fever built on their offensive flow, scoring 14 of their 24 points in the paint and taking a 37-34 advantage into halftime.
The Dream jumped out to a 14-5 advantage that included a strong start from Jones and Howard, who finished the quarter with 7 points apiece. Indiana went more than five minutes without a field goal before Lexie Hull added a 5-0 run to cut into the Dream’s lead, 14-10. Still, the Dream maintained a 18-13 lead after the first frame and held Indiana to its season low in an opening quarter this season.
The Dream return to action on Saturday against the Dallas Wings in the first contest of their back-to-back games.
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