Sun defeats Caitlin Clark and Fever to reach WNBA semifinals

UNCASVILLE, Connecticut – Alyssa Thomas scored 19 points and had 13 assists to help the Connecticut Sun knock Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever out of the playoffs with an 87-81 win on Wednesday night.

The third-seeded Sun will now face either Minnesota or Phoenix in the semifinals, which begin Sunday. For Connecticut, it will be the sixth consecutive appearance in the semifinals or higher, which is the second-longest streak by any team in WNBA history.

Thomas finished the two-game streak with 26 assists, tying Sue Bird (2020) for the most assists over a two-game span in a postseason all-time.

Clark played much better in Game 2 than she did in her postseason debut on Sunday. The AP Rookie of the Year finished with 25 points and nine assists, but it wasn’t enough. Aliyah Boston added 16 points and 19 rebounds.

Boston’s layup with 2:05 left gave Indiana a 77-75 lead, but DeWanna Bonner, playing in her 82nd playoff game, which set a WNBA record and tied Lindsay Whalen, answered with a 3-pointer 14 seconds later.

Neither team was able to score on their next possessions until Marina Mabrey hit a three-pointer from the wing with 45.5 seconds left to give the Sun an 81-77 lead.

Kelsey Mitchell missed a three-pointer on the Fever’s next possession and the Sun tied the game with a free throw.

The Fever trailed by seven points at halftime, but scored the first seven points of the third quarter to tie the game. The teams traded baskets until Lexie Hull’s layup gave the Fever a 48-47 lead midway through the quarter.

It was short-lived, however, as Thomas took the lead, scoring 10 points during a 14-4 run to end the quarter. Thomas joins Phoenix’s Diana Taurasi as the only players with multiple 15-point, 10-assist performances in series-deciding games in WNBA history (including single-elimination games).

Clark brought the Fever back with her 3-pointer, giving the team a 71-70 lead with 3:59 left, and the teams traded baskets until Bonner made a 3-pointer.

Indiana got off to a fast start and was up 14-6 before the Sun scored the final 11 points of the first quarter to take a three-point lead. With 1:29 left in the quarter, Clark called a foul on a fan sitting in the second row to a referee. The referee called security and had the person escorted to the back. The fan later returned and no further incidents occurred.

The run continued at the start of the second period, when Connecticut took a 26-16 lead on Carrington’s layup with 7:32 left in the half. The Sun led 41-34 at halftime. Carrington was honored before the game as the league’s most improved player.

On the last play of the half, Erica Wheeler attempted a layup to stop the buzzer and flew into the photographers on the sidelines. She lay on the ground for a few minutes before getting up and heading back to the locker room. Her left thumb was examined and she did not play in the second half.

Clark finished the half with 14 points, four rebounds and four assists.

The Sun were missing starting guard Tyasha Harris, who injured her ankle in Sunday’s win. Mabrey started in her place.

ESPN Research and The Associated Press contributed to this report.