Caitlin Clark, Fever swing back to force Game 3 vs. Aces

Sep 29, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) celebrates a made shot during game two of the first round against the Las Vegas Aces for the 2026 WNBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect INDIANAPOLIS — Caitlin Clark didn’t intentionally get a technical foul in Game 2 against the Aces. But she didn’t go out of her way to avoid it, either. Facing elimination, the Fever rallied behind Clark, who set the tone from the jump on Tuesday in an emotional, intense game as she painted her latest masterpiece with 27 points, 15 assists and seven rebounds, helping the Fever force a Game 3 with a 99-89 win. “The way I looked at it, your back’s up against the wall,” Clark said. “This is the only opportunity you’re guaranteed to have is these 40 minutes. You’re going to go down swinging if you’re going to lose. But I think we had the mentality like this is one we’re going to win no matter what. “To do it for our fans, be back in front of them and just come out with a fire and a passion about you, and I think that’s exactly what we did.” Clark is no stranger to a technical foul, but Tuesday’s was different. After feeling like the Fever were soft in a blowout Game 1 loss, she wanted to make sure that wasn’t this case in Game 2. She came out aggressive from the jump, burying her first three 15 seconds in. But Indiana struggled and trailed after the first frame. Then came her technical foul 90 seconds into the second period. At the time, the Fever trailed 29-20. Three minutes later, after an 11-2 run in which Clark scored or assisted every basket, Indiana was within two points. And two minutes after that, they took the lead after Clark found Mitchell for a fastbreak layup, capping off a 16-4 spurt in total. “I think that’s where we really lacked in the first game and that’s what we talked about as a team is like don’t be soft,” Clark said. “We kind of beat ourselves, I thought, in that way. Obviously Vegas played tremendous in Game 1, but we didn’t match their physicality. We didn’t have the mentality of coming in, kind of puffing our chest a little bit, and I think tonight we really had that.” The Fever didn’t relent, building the lead up to as large as 15 points in the third quarter. As they’ve been prone to do, Indiana allowed Vegas back into the game with an 8-0 run, closing the gap to just five points in the fourth. Again, Clark responded, burying a pair of threes in the fourth to push Indiana’s lead back into double digits both times. BANG!!!!!! Caitlin Clark drains her FIFTH three of the night 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/bNRZbm24SC — Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) September 30, 2026 Ultimately, the Fever had to see out the final minutes without her as one of her only blemishes on the night was her six fouls, the final coming with 2:45 left and Indiana up nine. Big baskets from Aliyah Boston and clutch free throws from Kelsey Mitchell helped the hosts see out the victory and force a Game 3. Each played vital roles on the night as well, Mitchell finishing with 26 points and Boston tallying 22 with four rebounds and five assists. It was the first time the Fever’s Big 3 all scored 20 points in a game since late August. “I just think that the efficiency with which they shot the ball was really, really good,” head coach Stephanie White said of the trio. “There’s a correlation when you move the ball like that and the way that they shared it and how they got it to each other, the shot quality was higher. I thought that’s where I felt like Caitlin just did a great job of orchestrating the offense.” For all Clark has done in her career, Tuesday was just her fourth career postseason game and her first playoff win. In Game 1, she looked like a player still adjusting to the unfamiliarity of postseason basketball. On Tuesday, she looked calibrated and ready to meet the moment. Now, she’s tasked with her first-ever win-or-go-home showdown. If Game 2 was anything to go off of, Clark will be ready for that moment, too. “I thought her energy from start to finish, I mean a double-double in the first half, pretty incredible,” White said. “You always expect her to be able to make shots and to facilitate, but I thought how she managed the game was really good. “She was the catalyst for us here tonight and I think she’s going to just take it to another level when we go to Game 3.”

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