Caitlin Clark, Fever top Dream in front of a record crowd

ATLANTA — NaLyssa Smith had 21 points and nine rebounds, Caitlin Clark added 16 points and seven assists, and the Indiana Fever beat the Atlanta Dream 91-79 Friday night in front of a record 17,575 fans at State Farm Arena .

Atlanta set a franchise record for attendance at a single home game, surpassing the 11,609 fans who attended the team’s inaugural game against the Detroit Shock in 2008 at Philips Arena.

The game was played at the home of the Atlanta Hawks due to high demand for tickets to see Clark, the No. 1 overall draft pick.

The Dream’s usual home, at Gateway Center Arena in College Park, has a capacity of 3,500.

The hyped game took a hit when it was announced that Rhyne Howard, Atlanta’s top pick in 2022, would not play due to a lower leg injury.

Indiana scored a season-high 35 points in the first quarter to build a 10-point lead after shooting 70 percent from the field.

Clark made his fourth 3-pointer, and Indiana’s 10th, to extend the lead to 71-60 midway through the third quarter.

That happened during an 11-3 run that ended with a 79-62 lead.

Fever sailed into the fourth.

Kelsey Mitchell added 18 points and Aliyah Boston had 10 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks for Indiana (7-10), which won its fourth straight game. Katie Lou Samuelson added 10 points coming off the bench.

Tina Charles scored a game-high 24 for her 37th career 20-point game to lead Atlanta (6-8). Allisha Gray added 19 points and Haley Jones scored 12.

Atlanta’s next home game against Indiana will also be played at State Farm Arena on August 26.