Caitlin Clark returned from a back injury to score 22 points with nine assists as the Indiana Fever beat the Golden State Valkyries 90-82 on Friday night, extending their third straight win.
INDIANAPOLIS — Caitlin Clark walked back onto the floor after missing a game with a back injury. and the Indiana Fever leaned into her like they’d missed her. The results were immediate: 22 points and nine assists. including four 3-pointers. as Indiana closed out a 90-82 win over the Golden State Valkyries on Friday night.
Aliyah Boston powered the inside with 20 points and 16 rebounds, pushing the Fever to their third straight win. Kelsey Mitchell added 19 points for Indiana, going 11-for-11 from the foul line, while Sophie Cunningham scored 11 off the bench.
Golden State’s answer came from its reserves. Tiffany Hayes led the Valkyries with 19 points and Kaitlyn Chen followed with 18. Veronica Burton added 17 points and Kayla Thornton finished with 10.
The game had a sharp turn late. Indiana held a 10-point lead with 2 1/2 minutes remaining, but Golden State cut the deficit in four. The Fever didn’t flinch—they answered at the free-throw line to seal the win.
The swing started earlier, too. Golden State was down one after one quarter, then opened the second with an 11-2 run. That surge flipped the momentum, giving the Valkyries a 44-37 lead at halftime.
Indiana’s offense tightened after that. In the second half, the Fever went 6 of 9 from the 3-point line and 19 of 26 from the foul line. The shooting splits showed the contrast between halves: in the first half, Indiana was 4 of 17 from distance and 3 of 3 at the foul line.
Golden State entered Friday coming off an 87-70 win at New York on Thursday in which it kept the Liberty 20 points below their average.
Valkyries: Host Connecticut on Monday.
Fever: Travel to San Francisco for a rematch with the Valkyries on Thursday.
Caitlin Clark Indiana Fever Golden State Valkyries Aliyah Boston Kelsey Mitchell Tiffany Hayes Kaitlyn Chen Veronica Burton Kayla Thornton WNBA