ATLANTA — In front of a record-breaking 17,575 spectators at State Farm Arena on Friday night, the Indiana Fever defeated the Atlanta Dream, 91-79, behind the 21 points and nine rebounds of NaLyssa Smith and the 16 points and seven assists of Caitlin Clark.
Atlanta surpassed the 11,609 spectators that attended the team’s inaugural game at Philips Arena against the Detroit Shock in 2008 to set a franchise record for single-game home attendance.
Due to a great demand for tickets to see Clark, the first overall choice in the draft, the game was played at the Hawks’ home arena. The Dream’s typical home, College Park’s Gateway Center Arena, can accommodate 3,500 people.
When it was revealed that Rhyne Howard, Atlanta’s top choice in 2022, would not play due to a lower leg injury, the much anticipated matchup suffered.
Indiana shot 70% from the field in the first quarter to score a season-high 35 points and take a 10-point lead.
Halfway through the third quarter, Clark extended the lead to 71-60 with her fourth 3-pointer and Indiana’s tenth. It was in the midst of an 11-3 run that gave them a 79-62 advantage. In the fourth, the Fever dominated.
Indiana (7-10) won its fourth consecutive game with 18 points from Kelsey Mitchell and 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks from Aliyah Boston. Off the bench, Katie Lou Samuelson scored ten more points.
Atlanta (6-8) was led by a season-high 24 points by Tina Charles, marking her 37th career 20-point performance. Haley Jones scored 12 points, and Allisha Gray contributed 19 more.
On August 26, Atlanta will host its subsequent home game versus Indiana at State Farm Arena.
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