Following their team’s 81-74 victory over the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday at the Target Centre, Indiana Fever No. 1 draft choices Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston had another happy moment. Boston set a new career best with 16 rebounds, and Clark moved up to second place in all-time rookie assists behind Sue Bird.
Clark was questioned about if jumping to second in Minneapolis adds sentimental value and about the WNBA assist milestone, which she will undoubtedly reach. Boston said up first, before Clark responded.
“Woo, woo, woo!” Boston exaggerated the accomplishment. “Hell yes.”
“Not really,” replied Clark. Most likely anything I forget. It’s kind of cool, I guess. Yes.
“Girl, you are so funny,” Boston joked.
Clark disclosed that the Target Centre served as the location of her very first WNBA game, which she watched the Lynx play, at her pregame news conference. Clearly, she still has connections to the arena from her time as an Iowa undergraduate. It was also the site of her final Big Ten game and the place where she won consecutive Big Ten Tournament titles.
This season, Boston has praised Clark with her characteristic woos on other occasions aside from Sunday, when reporters have questioned her about records and milestones. In the book, Clark seems to be vying for every award. Additionally, Boston and Clark’s chemistry has become stronger as the season has gone on. In news conferences, they have stood up for one another. They chuckle frequently.
To the list of positive moments shared between them, add Sunday.
Aliyah Boston was steady, Clark was more sporadic in the Fever victory.
By halftime, Aliyah Boston had already achieved a double-double, grabbing 10 rebounds and scoring 11 points on five of her six shots. She pulled down six more rebounds and made three of five of her baskets in the second half. Boston’s totals in the last two games for the Fever are 38 points and 29 rebounds. She only scored six points on four shots in the previous game due to foul trouble.
Boston remarked, “I think I was just trying to make sure that I can rebound the ball and be in the best position for my teammates.” “I think they did a great job early in the game to get me post touches, and then after that, it was just a matter of making sure I rebounded and finished my put-backs.”
Clark only managed seven points in the first half while going 1 for 5 from beyond the arc. Her one and only triple over her 6-foot-5 defender looked amazing. Overall though, Clark was colder on Sunday than she’s ever been. Clark fumbled the ball over in the final minutes of the third quarter, missed her catch-and-shoot 31-footer, and then came up short on her 28-foot step-back.
Clark responded, “No, I don’t think I was overeager.” “I’m just going to capture pictures that I believe are good… That would probably be a different story if they really went in. Most likely, you would have posed a different query to me. However, I believe that as a shooter who must score points and as someone that this team needs, you have to keep playing through it.
In the third, Clark had three assists but missed four three-pointers. She went one-for-two from beyond the arc in the fourth and added two more assists. Christie Sides, the head coach, set up Clark’s first play as the Fever trailed by seven points at the start of the fourth quarter. She was flawless.
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