PHOENIX (AZFamily) — It’s the matchup everyone has been waiting for: the GOAT vs. the Rook, right here in the Valley of the Sun. Will it be a passing of the torch, from the GOAT to the possible heir?
In this round, the rookie Caitlin Clark gained the upper hand and led the Fever to victory over the veteran, Diana Taurasi, and the Phoenix Mercury. Indiana had five players score double digits.
Clark nearly made history, but fell a rebound shy of becoming the first rookie to hit a first career triple-double and the first-ever for a WNBA rookie. She finished with an 15 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds. Aliyah Boston also led the Fever with 17 points.
Brittney Griner had a dominant performance for the Merc, tacking on 24 points and shooting 8-13 from inside the paint.
Quite possibly deemed one of the most-anticipated games in Mercury history, thousands of fans flocked to Footprint Center to watch two first-overall draft picks go head to head — 20-year veteran Taurasi and newcomer Clark, who has taken the WNBA by storm.
TAKEAWAYS
The game proved to be the exciting matchup that most were hoping for. It was a back-and-forth battle in the third after Indiana went on a 20-point scoring streak to take their first lead of the game.
From there on, both teams were in a fierce battle and traded leads seven times. But the Mercury seemed to lose their footing once Indiana gained momentum. The Merc were up by as much as 15 during the game, but the Fever clawed their way back to secure a victory.
“It was a competitive game. We need to be better down the stretch. I think there’s things we had in our control,” said Mercury guard Natasha Cloud.
Taurasi said the Fever didn’t disrupts the team’s flow; rather themselves. “We didn’t get to the action that we had in the first half. Like anything in basketball you take what the defense gives you. I think we settled a little bit too much. I think we got stagnant a little bit too much. In the first half we had better movement. Those are all things that we have in our hands,” she explained.
Despite second half struggles, Mercury limited Clark for most of the first half and forced her to turn the ball over seven times.
Griner and Taurasi tacked on 13 points apiece with a couple driving layups. The team came firing out of the gate to open the game up by going on a 14-2 tear. Cloud was nearly perfect on shooting, finishing 3-4 from inside the paint and 2-2 on threes.
Clark struggled on shooting to open the game, and the Mercury’s pesky guarding only made it more challenging. She went 2-8 from inside the paint and 1-6 on threes. She and NaLyssa Smith posted seven points, while Boston led the team with 10 points at the half.
NOTABLE MOMENTS
Things got a little chippy between both teams as technical fouls were exchanged in the first half. Cloud and Kahleah Copper were handed technicals, as well as two Fever players when both teams went head-to-head. It came just a few minutes after Griner got a tech.
Bad blood didn’t last for long. Taurasi and Clark shared a moment on the floor just moments after each team’s scuffle. Both seemed to be all smiles sharing the court – a glimpse of a past and future moment.
