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Though the Indiana Fever mounted a late rally and regained a late lead, the Atlanta Dream managed to hand Indiana its first loss, 91-90.
Atlanta guard Rhyne Howard sank a pair of free throws in the final 10 seconds to propel the Dream to victory. Save for an initial 2-0 lead, the Fever trailed throughout. Indiana fell behind by double figures in the first half and then by the score of 67-53 with less than four minutes remaining in the third quarter. Indiana trailed 76-65 entering the fourth quarter.
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Behind a pair of Caitlin Clark 3-pointers to begin the fourth, the Fever quickly closed to within four, 80-76. But, the Dream would widen its lead once more, building an 89-80 lead with just 4:09 remaining.
The Fever made one final spirited charge as Indiana guard Kelsey Mitchell knocked down a 3-pointer, Clark made a driving layup and then Fever forward Aliyah Boston and Mitchell added layups as well to knot the game at 89 apiece.
The Fever grabbed their second lead of the contest and appeared poised to possibly steal the game when Boston was fouled with 21.7 seconds remaining. Boston made just one of two foul shots, which opened the door for Howard’s eventual game-winning free throws.
After a timeout, the Fever looked inside on the ensuing possession. Clark lobbed the side-out inbounds pass toward the paint and into the arms of Fever forward Natasha Howard. Howard’s hook shot inside was blocked by Atlanta forward Nia Coffey.
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Howard retrieved the loose ball and got one last look at a baseline jumper. But, Howard’s shot was short and the Dream dribbled out the remainder of the clock.
Clark finished with 27 points and 11 assists on 9-for-20 shooting, including 5-of-11 from 3-point range. The 6-foot guard also grabbed five rebounds and came away with a pair of steals while committing just three turnovers. It’s now back-to-back games to open the 2025 WNBA season where Clark has eclipsed double-figure assists with only three turnovers.
Mitchell and Boston both scored 24 points for the Fever. Indiana returns to action on Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. CT where they will rematch against the Dream from State Farm Arena in Atlanta.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Indiana Fever drop first game of WNBA season vs Atlanta Dream
