Caitlin Clark nears triple-double as Fever beats Dream in preseason

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Fever closed out their preseason with an 83-80 victory over the Atlanta Dream on Thursday night.

Indiana will now turn its attention to the start of the regular season on May 14 at Connecticut.

Here are three observations:

Caitlin Clark nears triple-double

The Fever rookie sensation showed why she’s the subject of all the hype in her second WNBA preseason game.

She struggled with her shooting in the first quarter, going 2 of 6 from the field and 0 of 3 from 3-point range. But Clark found other ways to contribute, tallying four assists in the first nine minutes.

She made it easy for her teammates throughout the game, and she’s already closing in on something she specialized in during her college career: a triple-double. She recorded 17 triple-doubles during her four years at Iowa, which is second-most in Division I women’s basketball history behind Sabrina Ionescu’s 26.

It wouldn’t have counted in the official WNBA stat book anyway, but Clark finished the game with 12 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

Katie Lou Samuelson shakes off the rust

Before Friday night, the last time Fever forward Katie Lou Samuelson played in a WNBA game was in 2022. While she signed with the Los Angeles Sparks, the 26-year-old n Didn’t play in the 2023 WNBA season because she had a baby girl in August. .

After signing with the Fever last offseason, Samuelson was set to make her debut last Friday against Dallas, but a late ankle injury during pregame warmups kept her from participating.

Tonight, she finally made her long-awaited debut.

She must have shaken off some rust in the first half, as she only scored one point on a free throw. However, the expected Fever starter settled in during the third quarter, scoring two 3-pointers and a layup on her own steal. She finished with 11 points, three rebounds and two steals.

The trio of young guards rotates around the second quarter

When sophomore guard Grace Berger entered the game three minutes into the second quarter, the Fever were down 15 points. Berger’s inclusion added to a rookie guard duo of Caitlin Clark and Celeste Taylor, as well as second-year Aliyah Boston and third-year NaLyssa Smith.

They faced a seasoned, veteran Dream lineup that included Aerial Powers and Tina Charles. However, this did not bother them.

Berger had four assists in the first four minutes of his time on the court and finished the half with four points, five assists and three rebounds in seven minutes. Clark, who started the game, had eight points and five assists at halftime. Taylor scored six points, including a putback at the buzzer to erase that 15-point deficit to one.

Overall, this trio sparked the Fever on a 22-8 run over the final seven minutes of the half, putting Indiana back in contention for the game. Although Clark is also almost guaranteed to make the team, it was a solid performance for Berger and Taylor in the final days of training camp.

How many points did Caitlin Clark score?

Clark scored 12 points in her second WNBA preseason game. Although it was lower than his preseason opener of 21 against the Dallas Wings, Clark had a more balanced game against the Dream with eight rebounds and six assists.

Caitlin Clark nears triple-double

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