Caitlin Clark’s double-double pushes Fever by Mystics for third straight win

INDIANAPOLIS – Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston each scored 22 points, Caitlin Clark had her second career double-double and the Indiana Fever won their third straight game with an 88-81 victory over the Washington Mystics on Wednesday night.

Clark had 18 points and a career-high 12 rebounds plus six assists and four steals for the Fever (5-10). She also had six turnovers.

NaLyssa Smith added 11 points and Erica Wheeler had nine points off the bench in a big second half.

Indiana, which has won five of seven, is on its first four-game winning streak at home since August 2015.

Ariel Atkins had 27 points to lead the Mystics (2-12), who were missing injured starters Brittney Sykes and Shakira Austin. Karlie Samuelson had 16 points and Stephanie Dolson 14.

Trailing by nine in the fourth quarter, Washington started on a 9-2 run and pulled within 70-68 with seven minutes left on a three-point play by Emily Engstler.

Wheeler quickly answered with a jumper, Clark had a steal that led to Wheeler feeding Mitchell for a layup and then Clark hit a 3 on a Wheeler assist to make it 77-68 with 5:05 to go .

Wheeler’s pull-up at 3:25 pushed the lead to 82-71. Clark’s two free throws with 12 seconds left ended it.

Indiana never trailed, but never led by more than seven in the first half before settling for a 46-53 lead at halftime.

The Fever shot 55 percent and Smith, Mitchell and Boston all scored in double figures, while Clark added nine with eight rebounds.

Atkins had 15 and Samuelson 13 for the Mystics, who were 0 for 8 from 3-point range in the first quarter and then drilled six in the second. They finished with 11 on 34 attempts (32%).

It was more of the same in the third quarter until Boston hit a rare and late 3-pointer – her fourth of the season – that pushed the lead to nine. The Fever, who had 10 free throws in the first half, had 11 in the third quarter, helping them to a 68-59 lead.