It wasn’t exactly how they drew it up for three quarters, but the ending was worth it.
After squandering a 17-point lead to a Mystics squad on June 8 in Washington, D.C., Indiana Fever point guard Caitlin Clark delivered the first true buzzer-beating game-winner of her WNBA career.
Connecting on a dramatic 32-foot three-pointer with 2.5 seconds remaining, Clark salvaged a 78-76 victory for Indiana inside a sold-out CareFirst Arena.
The clutch bucket capped off a chaotic final minute that saw the lead change twice. With 11.3 seconds left, Fever center Aliyah Boston came up with a massive steal that led to a fast-break layup by Kelsey Mitchell, giving Indiana a narrow 75-74 edge.
However, a shooting foul by forward Lexie Hull moments later sent Washington guard Sonia Citron to the line. Citron buried both free throws, putting the Mystics back on top, 76-75, with just 4.3 seconds to play.
Enter Clark.
Coming out of a timeout, Indiana needed to execute. Forward Sophie Cunningham fired a risky skip pass across the court, narrowly evading the outstretched fingertips of opposing forward Cotie McMahon. The ball found Clark mid-stride well beyond the arc and the rookie buried the deep triple, securing the win.
“I’d better make this because I missed my free throws,” Clark said while laughing during the postgame press conference. “But I mean, all those plays are plays we work on after practice, so everybody knows their role … My hands got a little clammy, but it still went in, I guess.”
Hull admitted the play had the entire Indiana bench holding its breath.
“I kid you not, I was holding my breath because from my view, I thought Cotie was going to get it,” Hull said. “To see it go through … I have complete confidence that’s going to go in, but to see it go in and put us in the lead, that was one of the biggest moments we’ve had this season.”
The climactic finish bailed out an Indiana team that had dominated the first half, taking a commanding 43-29 lead into the locker room. Yet, the Mystics clawed their way back in the third quarter, outscoring the Fever 24-17 to make it a one-possession game heading into the final frame.
Despite the defensive lapses and foul trouble, Fever head coach Stephanie White praised her team’s late-game execution and resilience.
“We’ve been in a lot of those end-of-game situations, we’ve done a really good job of executing in those moments,” White said. “We got the shot, and (Caitlin) stepped up and made a hell of a shot.”
Clark finished the night with a team-high 19 points, knocking down four triples while adding three rebounds and three dimes. Boston was nearly unmovable in the paint, recording a double-double with 14 points, 10 rebounds and two swats. Mitchell added 15 points for the Fever, who improved to 6-5 on the season.
Washington (4-6) was led by forward Michaela Onyenwere, who tallied 17 points, while Georgia Amoore added 12 points and four assists.
“This is a hard league to play in, and you take a win in whatever way you can get it,” Clark said.
The Fever return home, taking on the Chicago Sky on June 11 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis.
Contact multimedia & senior sports reporter Noral Parham at 317-762-7846. Follow him on X @3Noral. For more Indiana Fever coverage, visit indianapolisrecorder.com.
Noral Parham is the multi-media reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder, one of the oldest Black publications in the country. Prior to joining the Recorder, Parham served as the community advocate of the MLK Center in Indianapolis and senior copywriter for an e-commerce and marketing firm in Denver.
