- Caitlin Clark had 17 points and six assists in the Fever’s 81-74 win over the Lynx.
- Clark’s Hawkeyes were 6–0 at Target Center during his Iowa career.
MINNEAPOLIS – It’s been a summer of firsts for Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark. On a new team in a cross-country league, she’s traveling to new cities and playing on new fields.
Well, most of them were new to him. By the time she arrived at the Target Center in Minneapolis on Sunday morning, she already knew the area.
As an Iowa Hawkeye, Clark changed target center to “Carver North”. On Sunday, it was “Gainbridge West”.
conclusion:Fever score another big win, doubling up over Lynx in decisive fourth quarter
With a crowd of 18,978 it looked like another home game for the Fever.
“There were a lot of Fever fans there.” Clark said after the Fever’s hard-fought 81-74 win over the Lynx. “They were cheering, going crazy. A lot of people probably supported me when I was playing here with Iowa, but it’s a great venue, the Target Center is amazing. I mean, I just Remember when I was in college here, and people were lining up overnight to try to get in the door, and they just support women’s basketball, obviously the history here and the links to what to do. Capable, but yes, I guess there’s a little magic here? Knock on wood, because we come back.”
That magic spread to his companions also. Clark did not have the most efficient night from the field, shooting 5 of 17 (29.4%) with five free throws for 17 points, but she was crucial in the final minutes to secure the win. Fever center Aliyah Boston had a double-double by halftime, and her new career-high of 16 rebounds helped keep Kelsey Mitchell (21 points, 8-18 shooting) even over the line at the end of the game.
Every time the Fever (11-14) came close to winning, they received a rousing ovation from the away crowd.
“This is huge,” Fever coach Christy Sides said. “I mean, being on the road in Minnesota, it’s a different feeling. We hit a bucket late, and I looked around because you know, the crowd went crazy and just, we’re not used to that way.”
Clark, an avid WNBA fan from an early age, grew up coming to Lynx games – it is the closest WNBA team to her hometown of Des Moines, Iowa (a 3 1/2 hour drive straight up I-35). She and her father, Brent, came to see a Lynx game for the first time when she was around fifth grade, she said, and a ticket office representative made the whole trip worth it.
When Brent Clark called the ticket office to request a pair of seats for the game, the representative offered the two of them the opportunity to come to the field in front of the general fans for the team’s opening shootaround. In that experience alone, Clark got the chance to meet some of the Lynx’s best players at the WNBA Championship.
“I remember sitting courtside and watching all the (early warmups), so whoever that guy is, you’re a hero, you’re heaven-sent into my life,” Clark said with a laugh before the game. Are.” “I don’t know who you are, I don’t know if you still work for the Lynx and (the Timberwolves), but I remember Lindsey Whalen came, Simon Augustus came, I met them very well. It was obviously a very special memory of my entire basketball career.”
Years later, as a player in the Big Ten, she came to Minneapolis every year to play Minnesota at Williams Arena — not quite Target Center, but close. When the Big Ten moved the conference tournament to the Target Center, Clark got her first chance to play on the arena where she grew up watching her favorite players.
Clark and Iowa went 6–0 at the Target Center over a 2-year span, and captured the Big Ten Championship in each of those two years.
A large number of fans came out from across Iowa to see Clark and the Hawkeyes play in the postseason. Each session was filled with Hawkeyes fans loudly cheering for their team, essentially making it feel like they were back in Iowa City at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
“My last Big Ten game I played here, and it was my first WNBA game as a kid, so this arena is very cool, very special to me,” Clark said before the game. “It’s very exciting and fun to be back, and I know a lot of Iowa fans, it’s a fun place for them.”
More:‘Hey, when Fever comes to play, buy a ticket.’ Iowa fans will follow Kaitlin Clark.
Now, with Clark in the professional leagues, she’ll visit Target Center once or twice a year. And the fans are ready. Erin Roberts, an avid Clark fan from Iowa, told IndyStar in March that she had purchased Lynx season tickets just to make sure she could attend two of Clark’s games this summer.
Roberts wasn’t the only Iowa fan to make the trek; It seemed like the majority of fans were Iowa, Indiana Fever or Kaitlin Clark fans. When Clark pulled down a rebound and then hit two free throws to seal the victory for Indiana, the Fever’s eighth in the last 12 games, the cheers were deafening.
Follow IndyStar Fever Insider Chloe Peterson on X at @chloepeterson67.
