UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Alyssa Thomas had the 15th triple-double of her career to spoil Caitlin Clark’s playoff debut as the Connecticut Sun beat the Indiana Fever 93-69 on Sunday in the opener of their best-of-three series.
Thomas finished with 12 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds, recording his fourth triple-double of the playoffs.
Marina Mabrey led the third-seeded Suns with 27 points, including 20 in the second half. It was the most points scored by a substitute in WNBA playoff history, according to ESPN Research.
Game 2 is Wednesday night in Connecticut, with a potentially decisive third game in Indiana Friday night if necessary.
Clark, who was named AP Rookie of the Year earlier in the day, finished with 11 points, recovering from a rough start to the season. She also had eight assists. Kelsey Mitchell scored 21 points and Aliyah Boston added 17 points and 11 rebounds for Indiana.
The Sun entered the competition with 222 playoff games under their belt, while the Fever had just 19, none of which came among starters. This was Indiana’s first playoff appearance since 2016. Connecticut coach Stephanie White was at the helm of the Fever that year.
After a hard-fought 16 minutes, Indiana led 36-34 with 3:45 left in the first half. The Sun then took over, closing the first 20 minutes on a 12-2 run.
DeWanna Bonner scored four points and blocked a Clark layup in the stretch. Bonner finished the first 20 minutes with 16 points. Clark had a quiet first half with just three points, making one of nine shots.
She missed her first two shots of the third quarter before the Fever called a timeout. Clark hit the bench in frustration. That seemed to motivate her as she made her next three shots to try to rally the Fever, but it wasn’t enough as Mabrey matched her shot for shot, scoring 11 points in the third quarter. Clark finished 4 of 17.
The first half was also a bit eventful, with play being stopped 48 seconds into the game to allow Indiana to challenge a foul on the wrong player. It was successful. About 45 seconds later, Clark was accidentally hit in the right eye by DiJonai Carrington and was down for a moment before leaving the court.
Minutes later, Tyasha Harris injured her right leg while trying to defend a shot. She had to be helped off the court and then returned to the bench with that heavily bandaged ankle.
