INDIANAPOLIS — The crowd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse held its breath with 5.1 seconds left in the fourth quarter of Friday’s game. The Indiana Fever trailed the Washington Mystics by 3 points after clawing their way back in the final frame, but needed one more shot.
Caitlin Clark delivered a 3-pointer to tie the game near the end of regulation, but the Mystics held on for a 104-102 overtime victory. The Fever fell to 1-2 with the loss and have yet to win at home.
Clark heats up late
The season began with a cold 3-point shooting start for Clark, as she made just 3 of 16 in the Fever’s first two games. The two-time All-Star heated up early on Friday night, nailing back-to-back 3-pointers in the second quarter, but for most of the game she was held in check — until the fourth quarter.
Through the first three quarters, Clark went 2-for-15 from the field for just 11 points, and the Fever entered the fourth quarter trailing 67-58. She took over in the final frame by drilling five 3-pointers, more than her total 3-pointers combined through the first two games of the season. Clark’s third triple gave Indiana a 70-69 lead with just under seven minutes to play as the Fever eventually erased an 11-point deficit to force overtime.
Clark scored 17 of her 32 points in the fourth quarter and dished out eight assists. Her sixth-career 30-point game, however, wasn’t enough for the Fever to avoid their second loss in their first three games.
Amoore runs the show
Mystics guard Georgia Amoore suffered a right ACL injury during training camp last year and missed her entire rookie season. Appearing in just her third WNBA game Friday, the 2025 No. 6 pick looked like a 10-year veteran. Amoore, who starred at Virginia Tech and Kentucky, played with poise as she orchestrated the Mystics’ offense. She provided arguably the most impressive pass of the game when she caught the ball on the left wing in the third quarter. Before Fever forward Mo Billings and Clark could trap her, Amoore jumped in the air and split the defense with a pinpoint bounce pass to Kiki Iriafen for a layup that gave Washington a 45-39 lead.
Amoore finished with 7 points and four assists in 24 minutes. She also played stifling defense on the Fever’s guards, including Clark, as the Mystics held Indiana to just 9 points on 4-of-21 shooting in the second quarter.
Mystics young core shines
In addition to Amoore, Washington’s youngsters showed promise. Shakira Austin, the 2022 No. 3 draft pick, racked up 19 points, nine rebounds and five assists. She was a constant mismatch for the Fever, especially in the paint. Iriafen, the No. 4 pick in the 2025 draft, chipped in with 25 points and 13 rebounds. Sonia Citron, last season’s No. 3 draft pick who earned an All-Star nod as a rookie, also poured in a team-high 30 points on 10-of-14 shooting to lift Washington to a 2-1 record. She scored 5 points in overtime, while Cotie McMahon, the 2026 No. 11 pick, scored 5 of her 13 points in the extra frame, too.
The Mystics dominated inside, outscoring the Fever 58-28 in the paint. They also shot 56 percent from the field and made 6 of 8 shots in overtime.
Boston’s leaves early with injury
Aliyah Boston exited Friday’s game in the third quarter and didn’t return because of what the Fever called a lower leg injury. She totaled 9 points and four rebounds in 21 minutes. Boston suffered a lower leg injury while playing in Unrivaled during the offseason. It’s unclear if this is an aggravation of the same injury or a separate injury. Fever coach Stephanie White did not have an update on Boston after the game.
Two days after being held without a field goal for the first time in her career, Boston quickly rebounded from her poor outing against the Los Angeles Sparks and made her presence felt early against the Mystics. The three-time All-Star finished with just 4 points on Wednesday in Los Angeles, missing all three of her shots before fouling out, but she eclipsed that total in the first quarter Friday. Boston made her first shot in the paint off a pass from Clark, and she followed that up with a wing 3-pointer on the Fever’s next possession.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Washington Mystics, Indiana Fever, WNBA
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