Indiana
Fever wins 4th straight, Caitlin Clark 3rd-fastest in WNBA history to reach 100 assists
Indiana Fever beat Atlanta, win 4 in a row for first time since 2015
Fever forward NaLyssa Smith, coach Christie Sides and Caitlin Clark talk with media after beating Atlanta, 91-79, on Friday night.
ATLANTA — The Indiana Fever renaissance continues with a fourth-straight win Friday night, taking down the Atlanta Dream, 91-79, at State Farm Arena in downtown Atlanta on Friday night.
The Fever (7-10) have won four straight for the first time since 2015, and have won six of their past eight games.
Here are three observations:
More: Caitlin Clark confirms she ruptured eardrum vs. New York in early June
Fever win four straight games for first time since 2015
On Friday, with three straight wins under their belt, the Fever needed just one more to break a nine-year mark. At a sold-out crowd of 17,575 at State Farm Arena, they got it.
The Fever have now won four games in a row for the first time since Tamika Catchings was an active player and Stephanie White was Indiana’s coach. It was the last year the Fever went to the WNBA Finals as the No. 3 seed in the East, falling to the Minnesota Lynx.
Fever build, then maintain lead
Indiana’s first half was shaping up to be very similar to last week’s game against the Dream in Indianapolis. Indiana built a strong lead Friday night in Atlanta, leading 57-41 at halftime.
Last week, Indiana led by 15 points, 49-44, at half — and they almost let the lead slip away. The Dream fought back, led by All-Star Rhyne Howard, to lead the Fever in the fourth quarter and nearly steal a victory. It took a career-matching 27 points from Aliyah Boston (10 in the fourth) for the Fever to pull out the win.
This time, Indiana didn’t let that happen. With Howard out with an ankle injury, the Fever kept distance from the Dream for the entire game. Atlanta got within nine points at one point in the third quarter, but the Fever then went on an 11-3 run to put the game away.
Four starters — Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston, Kelsey Mitchell, and NaLyssa Smith — each scored in double figures for the third straight game, and fellow starter Kristy Wallace added seven points.
Smith led the Fever with 21 points, while Boston finished with a double-double (10 points and 10 rebounds).
Caitlin Clark eclipses 100 assists
Fever rookie Caitlin Clark is in good company.
Her first assist Friday night, Clark eclipsed 100 on the season in just 17 games, tying her for third-fastest in WNBA history with Seattle Storm legend Sue Bird. That assist came just seconds into the game — Clark passed the ball to a cutting Kelsey Mitchell, who easily scored a layup.
The Fever rookie has always maintained her passing is an underrated part of her game. The NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer is known for her logo 3-point shots and smooth baskets, but she also has elite court vision.
That passing also comes with risks — Clark specializes in behind-the-back, no-look, and cross-court passes, and those passes take time to learn with new teammates. Clark currently averages 5.5 turnovers per game and leads the league with 88, but those in-game turnovers have decreased as Clark learned her teammates and her teammates learned her style.
Clark finished Friday’s game with seven turnovers compared to seven assists.
How many points did Caitlin Clark score?
Clark scored 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field (4-of-8 from 3) to go along with seven assists and three rebounds against the Dream.
Michigan State narrowly escaped with a home win against the now 8–7 Northwestern Wildcats. The Spartans struggled mightily in the first half, entering the break down seven points after scoring just 28 points. Michigan State committed eight turnovers in the opening 20 minutes and went 6-of-11 from the free-throw line.
After a sluggish start, the Spartans regrouped and took control in the second half. Michigan State shot 14-of-27 from the field after halftime, playing with better pace and ball movement.
Jeremy Fears, who picked up two early fouls and began the game 0-of-4 from the field, responded with a strong second half. He finished the game shooting 4-of-7 from the field and a perfect 7-of-7 from the free-throw line.
Overall, Michigan State was far more composed in the second half against the Wildcats. However, with a matchup against Indiana looming, the Spartans will not be able to afford another slow start like the one they experienced against Northwestern.
Scouting Indiana
Indiana has undergone a similar offseason transformation to another Big Ten opponent Michigan State has already faced: the Iowa Hawkeyes. After parting ways with head coach Mike Woodson, the Hoosiers hired former West Virginia head coach Darian DeVries.
DeVries began his head coaching career at Drake, where he posted an impressive 150–55 record. Over his final four seasons with the Bulldogs, he led the program to 108 wins and three NCAA Tournament appearances.
DeVries also went 79–33 in Missouri Valley Conference play, captured three MVC titles, and guided Drake to six of the program’s 11 20-win seasons before leaving for West Virginia.
In his lone season with the Mountaineers, DeVries engineered a significant turnaround, improving West Virginia from a 10-win team to a 19-win team.
Now at Indiana, DeVries has continued that trend of rapid improvement. In Mike Woodson’s final season, the Hoosiers finished 19–13 and missed the NCAA Tournament. This season, Indiana has already reached 12 wins and appears firmly back in the postseason conversation.
The Hoosiers are led by senior guard Lamar Wilkerson, a transfer from Sam Houston. Wilkerson is averaging 19.5 points per game while shooting 46.2 percent from the field and 41.8 percent from three-point range.
Indiana has been strong on both ends of the floor. According to KenPom, the Hoosiers rank 30th nationally in offensive efficiency and 28th in defensive efficiency.
As Michigan State prepares to face Indiana, the Spartans will need to clean up their first-half execution to keep pace with one of the Big Ten’s more balanced teams. Indiana’s efficiency on both ends of the court, combined with DeVries’ proven ability to elevate programs quickly, makes this a difficult matchup. For Michigan State, a complete 40-minute performance will be essential if it hopes to build momentum in conference play.
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The Oregon Ducks’ season has ended in heartbreak for the second-straight season. They advanced farther than they did last year, reaching the College Football Playoff semifinals before they succumbed to the red-hot Indiana Hoosiers.
In the days leading up to the rematch, Oregon head coach Dan Lanning spoke about what needed to change from the last matchup, and the turnover battle was one of the things he spoke most passionately about. There is no way he can be happy after the Ducks lost the turnover battle 3-0, with each one leading to easy points for the Hoosiers.
Offensive coordinator Will Stein was asked to reflect on this aspect after the game, and he had this to say, “We just spotted these guys 21 points. You know, it’s hard to win when you turn the ball over three times in your own territory, plus a pick six.”
Oregon’s defense wasn’t great in this game either, but a lot of their struggles were the result of being asked to shut down an Indiana offense that was often set up in or near the red zone. Stein acknowledged this in his answer, telling reporters, “You don’t do anything good for your defense in that aspect. So obviously, poor job by us taking care of the ball, and it was obviously the big difference in the game.
The Hoosiers scored 28 points off Ducks turnovers, which ended up being the key difference in the 34-point loss. It also doesn’t feel farfetched to believe that Oregon would have played with much more fire if the turnovers didn’t put the game out of reach.
This game will leave a sour taste in this group’s mouth because they know things will never be the same. Stein and Tosh Lupoi are going off to lead their own teams now, along with a ton of uncertainty about which players will remain in Eugene after this loss.
The Ducks had a prime opportunity to achieve glory, but they came up just short yet again thanks to a slew of giveaways.
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ATLANTA — Indiana football quarterback Fernando Mendoza has burned teams throughout the College Football Playoff with his scrambling ability.
Mendoza was lights out through the air in a 56-22 win over Oregon in the Peach Bowl on Friday night, but he made a handful of plays with his legs again starting with a 21-yard gain early in the second quarter that helped the No. 1 Hoosiers (15-0) flip the field.
Mendoza’s sneaky athleticism has put pressure on defenses already struggling to contain IU’s impressive arsenal of skill players, but there came a time in the CFP semifinals where the coaching staff asked him to put that scrambling ability in his back pocket and keep it there.
“Coach (Chandler) Whitmer was in his ear about getting down as quickly as possible,” Indiana offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan told The Herald-Times.
Re-live IU’s 2025 season
The Heisman winner had the large contingent of IU fans at Mercedes-Benz Stadium holding their breath while he was weaving through defenders and taking hits with his team up by four possessions coming out of halftime.
Mendoza lost the ball in the third quarter while getting tripped up from behind on a run up the middle after busting out a spin move on the play to gain extra yards.
While the coaching staff appreciates Mendoza’s competitiveness, they didn’t want him putting himself at risk with the team less than two quarters away from playing in the national title game.
“We were very conscious (of the situation),” Shanahan said after the game.
Mendoza had one more carry after that off an RPO near the goal line right after IU blocked a punt. It was a play call that Shanahan immediately regretted with Oregon loading up the box.
“That wasn’t the best position to put him in,” he said.
Mendoza closed out the game for the Hoosiers under center by simply handing the ball off while the Hoosiers put the finishing touches on another lopsided win. He threw for 177 yards (17 of 20) and finished the game with more passing touchdowns (five) than incompletions (three) for the sixth time this season.
Oregon’s Dan Lanning had high praise for Mendoza’s overall performance after the game, but he became the latest in a long line of opposing coaches to mention his scrambling ability in the same breath as his arm talent.
“The guy makes the right decisions,” Lanning said. “You consistently see if he sees the right coverage, you know, he takes the ball where it’s supposed to go, dictated by coverage. I think he did a great job again on the scrambles early. I thought we had him boxed up in the third down early in the game, which was critical and was able to scramble for a first down.”
Shanahan underlined Mendoza’s decision-making as well in talking about the growth he’s seen from the quarterback this season and his improvisational skills (and when to use them) are a big part of that.
“He makes my life and my job so much easier,” Shanahan said. “I think he’s playing his best ball right now. I don’t know if that was the confidence he got from winning Heisman or beating Ohio State, I feel like we are on the right path. We got one more to go.”
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
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