Marina Mabrey of the Connecticut Sun guards Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever during Game 1 of the WNBA playoffs. The Sun secured a 93-69 victory in the first-round matchup, held Sunday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. (Sarah Gordon/The Day, Associated Press)
The Connecticut Sun dominated the Indiana Fever in Game 1 of their best-of-three WNBA playoff series, cruising to a decisive 93-69 victory. Alyssa Thomas shined with her 15th career triple-double, finishing with 12 points, 13 assists, and 10 rebounds. This achievement marked her fourth triple-double in the postseason. The star of the game, however, was Marina Mabrey, who led all scorers with 27 points, with 20 of those coming in the second half, setting a new record for points scored by a reserve player in the playoffs, as reported by ESPN.
Caitlin Clark, the AP Rookie of the Year, struggled in her playoff debut for the Fever, managing just 11 points after a slow start, though she did contribute 8 assists. Kelsey Mitchell led Indiana’s scoring with 21 points, while Aliyah Boston added a solid performance with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
Despite Indiana's early lead in the game, the Fever couldn’t maintain their momentum against a more experienced Sun team with a significant playoff history. The Fever, on the other hand, were making their first playoff appearance since 2016 and entered this contest with just 19 total playoff games compared to the Sun’s 222.
The Fever showed early fight and resilience, buoyed by their fan support, with many in the crowd wearing Caitlin Clark shirts. Indiana kept the game close for the first 16 minutes, even leading 36-34 with under four minutes remaining in the first half. But that’s when the Sun flipped the switch, going on a 12-2 run to close the half, including a crucial block by DeWanna Bonner and impressive contributions from the rest of the Sun roster.
Clark’s frustration was evident as she missed several shots early in the third quarter. At one point, she hit the bench in frustration after missing her first two shots. Despite a brief rally from Clark, who hit three consecutive shots after the timeout, it wasn’t enough to close the gap. Mabrey’s scoring in the third quarter ensured that the Sun maintained their comfortable lead, and by the end of the game, Clark had only made 4 of her 17 shots.
The game also featured some stoppages due to injuries and challenges, including one where Clark was poked in the eye by DiJonai Carrington and a leg injury suffered by Tyasha Harris, who later returned to the game with a heavily wrapped ankle.
The Sun will look to close out the series on Wednesday in Connecticut, with a potential Game 3 in Indiana scheduled for Friday if necessary.
