Caitlin Clark Injured as Mercury Beat Fever, Final Box Score Stats, Highlights for Star, Cunningham
Caitlin Clark, Sophie Cunningham and the Indiana Fever came up short down the stretch Wednesday, falling to DeWanna Bonner and the Phoenix Mercury, 111-109, at home.
Clark, who finished with 19 points, exited the game in the third quarter with a back injury. The All-Star guard shot 55 percent from the field and 75 percent from 3-point range while adding eight assists and a steal.
The loss dropped Indiana to 10-8 on the season and marked its third defeat in its last eight games.
The Fever entered their two-game stand against the Mercury on the heels of back-to-back losses to the second-place Atlanta Dream and slipped to seventh in the WNBA standings behind the Golden State Valkyries.
In the loss, Cunningham saw limited opportunities off the bench, finishing with five points on 2-of-3 shooting while committing three turnovers. Kelsey Mitchell paced Indiana with 30 points, shooting 69 percent from the field and adding two steals.
| Player | PTS | FG | REB | AST |
| Caitlin Clark | 19 | 5-9 | 0 | 8 |
| Sophie Cunningham | 5 | 2-3 | 0 | 0 |
| Monique Billings | 8 | 2-2 | 5 | 0 |
| Aliyah Boston | 23 | 9-16 | 9 | 5 |
| Kelsey Mitchell | 30 | 11-16 | 0 | 6 |
| Lexie Hull | 9 | 4-6 | 2 | 2 |
Returning to Indiana, Bonner finished with 13 points, eight rebounds, two steals and a block as the Mercury improved to 6-13 on the season with the road victory.
Alyssa Thomas added 24 points and eight assists, while Kahleah Copper led Phoenix with 28 points. Copper was nearly flawless at the free-throw line, converting 15 of 16 attempts to help the Mercury fend off a late Indiana rally and secure the win.
| Player | PTS | FG | REB | AST |
| DeWanna Bonner | 13 | 5-11 | 8 | 1 |
| Alyssa Thomas | 24 | 12-17 | 4 | 8 |
| Noemie Brochant | 12 | 5-9 | 5 | 9 |
| Kahleah Copper | 28 | 6-10 | 3 | 1 |
| Lexi Held | 9 | 3-6 | 1 | 0 |
| Valeriane Ayayi | 19 | 5-8 | 3 | 2 |
Indiana took a narrow 55-53 lead into halftime, paced by 13 points from Mitchell. Boston added 10 points, while Clark led all scorers with 16 points and seven assists.
For Phoenix, Thomas scored 12 first-half points, while Copper added 15 and Bonner chipped in 11. Noemie Brochant helped orchestrate the offense with seven assists before the break.
The Mercury grabbed the lead shortly after the 7:30 mark of the fourth quarter, setting up a tense back-and-forth finish as both teams traded baskets down the stretch.
Boston did her best to keep Indiana within striking distance, scoring four late points. Cunningham then drained a clutch basket with six seconds remaining to cut the deficit to one and force a free-throw situation.
Phoenix, however, took care of the ball and converted at the line in the closing seconds while forcing a game-sealing turnover to secure the victory.
Indiana and Phoenix met Monday in a heated matchup, with the Fever emerging with an 86-77 victory behind 24 points from Clark.
Emotions boiled over in the fourth quarter, resulting in five technical fouls and one ejection.
Indiana's Myisha Hines-Allen was tossed after receiving two technical fouls, while Clark picked up her fifth technical of the season. Phoenix's Thomas and former Fever forward Bonner also were assessed technical fouls, along with Indiana's Cunningham.
The Mercury responded Wednesday with a win in a much calmer contest, evening the season series at one game apiece. The rubber match is scheduled for July 9.
The Fever will look to rebound Saturday when they host the Los Angeles Sparks.
