The Indiana Fever have suffered through a very disappointing season. From the Caitlin Clark injury story to multiple other crushing injuries to other players on the team, things simply have not gone according to plan.
At the beginning of the year, the Fever were expected to be a WNBA Finals contender. Clark was expected to be a top-tier MVP candidate.
Unfortunately, those two things have not come to fruition.
On Friday night, Indiana faced off against the Minnesota Lynx. The short-handed team put up a great fight, but came up just short against one of the best teams in the league.
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Despite their valiant effort, the Fever ended up losing the game by a final score of 95-90. That loss dropped them to 19-17 on the season.
After the loss, Indiana now sits at No. 6 in the overall WNBA standings.
Kelsey Mitchell once again led the team in scoring with 27 points, while Lexie Hull chipped in 23 points as well. Aliyah Boston scored 15 points and grabbed six rebounds in the loss.
Following the game, head coach Stephanie White spoke out with a heartfelt message to her team. She has seen the hard work that the players have put in without their superstar player on the court and she took some time to recognize it.
“Our players bust their (expletive). They battle every single game,” White said. “This is a special group of women. … And the numbers tell a story. But their hearts and their character tell another one.”
There has been no update about when Clark could return to the court. Losing Sophie Cunningham for the season due to a knee injury was another tough blow. Whether or not the Fever can stick together and make the playoffs remains to be seen.
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Hopefully, Indiana gets some good news in the near future. If Clark is able to return to the court this year, a turnaround could be possible. Should she not return, the Fever will have an uphill battle on their hands.
Regardless of what happens throughout the rest of the year, Indiana has fought hard. No one can take away how much the Fever have been through and how hard they have played to remain competitive.
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