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‘I was due’: Caitlin Clark leads Indiana Fever past Sparks to first win of season

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‘I was due’: Caitlin Clark leads Indiana Fever past Sparks to first win of season


Caitlin Clark had 11 points and 10 rebounds for her first WNBA double-double and the Indiana Fever beat Los Angeles 78-73 on Friday night to snap a season-opening five-game skid in front of a Sparks record crowd of 19,103 that included several Hollywood stars.

“The first one feels really good,” said Clark, who also had eight assists.

Kelsey Mitchell led Indiana (1-5) with 18 points and Aliyah Boston and Temi Fagbenle had 17 each.

Clark’s rebounds were a career high. She missed her first seven three-point attempts, but finally made one of her trademark deep threes with 2:27 remaining in the game, triggering an explosion of cheers and applause. A giddy Clark high-fived actor and Iowa native Ashton Kutcher sitting courtside.

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“That’s a fellow Hawkeye, somebody that’s been very supportive of me over the course of my college career,” she said. “He was encouraging me the whole game.”

The game featured the youth and future of the WNBA, with No 1 draft pick Clark playing against No 2 pick Cameron Brink and fourth selection Rickea Jackson of the Sparks.

“They’re making a huge impact in our league,” Fever coach Christie Sides said before the game.

Brink had 15 points and nine rebounds and Jackson added a career-high 16 points off the bench for the Sparks (1-3). Dearica Hamby had 18 points and 12 rebounds.

Jason Sudeikis, Rosie O’Donnell, Kathy Griffin, DeMar DeRozan of the Chicago Bulls, Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors, USC star JuJu Watkins along with teammate Rayah Marshall and coach Lindsay Gottlieb were among the sellout home crowd for the Sparks’ first game at Crypto.com Arena this season.

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“The crowd was absolutely amazing, especially there at the end,” Clark said. “They were into it, they were invested.”

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) greets actor Ashton Kutcher after making a fourth-quarter three-pointer on Friday night. Photograph: Ashley Landis/AP

After trailing by 11 points early in the game, Boston, Fagbenle and Mitchell dominated the fourth quarter, with Mitchell hitting back-to-back three-pointers.

Brink made a three-pointer and Lexie Brown scored to draw the Sparks within 73-71. But Clark answered with her second deep three-pointer with about 40 seconds left and the crowd roared again as Indiana stayed in front, 76-71.

“I was due, like they had to go in,” said Clark, who was 4 of 14 from the field, 2 of 9 on three-point attempts. “I had missed so many throughout the game.”

The Fever were just 7 of 25 from long range; the Sparks also struggled, going 5 of 24.

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The Sparks played their first two home games in Long Beach, but with Clark and the Fever in town the game was moved to downtown Los Angeles.

Trailing 45-34, the Fever opened the third quarter on a 16-3 run to lead 50-48. Fagbenle and Boston combined to score all of Indiana’s points, with Fagbenle’s 3-pointer capping the spurt. Clark didn’t score but she came up with a big steal at midcourt and after she missed Boston scored.

“She was running our offense. She’s learning her system, learning her players,” Sides said of Clark. “She hit some huge shots and did everything we needed her to do.”

The teams meet again Tuesday in Indianapolis.





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Indiana

New law allows alcohol at participating county fairs in Indiana

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New law allows alcohol at participating county fairs in Indiana


It’s fair season and a new law uncorks adult beverage sales!

The new Indiana law will go into effect July 1st, making it legal to sell alcohol at county fairs.

The Kosciusko County Fair is set to kick off in just a few weeks and Indiana is officially allowing alcohol to be sold.

The law is bringing back something that’s not necessarily new to this fair.

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Here’s what you need to know

The new law will go into effect on July 1st. It officially allows county fairs to apply for fee-free permits to sell alcohol.

Officials with the Kosciusko County Fair say they are participating this year. They are implementing the same guidelines they used when they sold alcohol just at grandstand events.

The difference now is, you can walk around the grounds with your drink. But strict guidelines will be in place for purchasing a drink.

“Actually, we’ve never had any issues. Because we card everybody, so we take that seriously. We also got the ID guides so we can identify the different types of IDs,” said Sheal Dirck, Treasurer of Kosciusko County Fair.

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The Kosciusko County Fair already have guidelines in place, so this was an easy transition for the fair.

They will be the only vendors selling alcohol, which will make it easier to control distribution.

The sales will also bring in more revenue.

“Hopefully it allows to keep our ticket prices where they are because right now, insurance, utilities and everything else is going sky high and it’s hard to make ends meet,” said Dirck.

However, some fairs cannot participate because of the July 1st start date, like the Pulaski County Fair, which is going on right now. Pulaski County officials said it is on the agenda for next year. Whereas other fairs are choosing to sit this year out.

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“We wanted not spend some time to, to see what that really means for us. It was not a decision we wanted to rush into. But we are happy for the option of it,” said Shelly Steury, GM of Elkhart County 4H Fairgrounds.

Leaders at the St. Joseph County and Elkhart County Fairs said neither of them are selling alcohol.

The Kosciusko County Fair is the only fair that will sell alcohol in our area this year.



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‘Foul play’ suspected in death investigation on Indiana-Ohio state line, Wayne County officials say

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‘Foul play’ suspected in death investigation on Indiana-Ohio state line, Wayne County officials say


WAYNE COUNTY, Ind. (WISH) — Police are investigating the death of a person who died in the emergency department of Reid Health in Richmond.

Wayne County Coroner Brent Meadows was notified of the death Wednesday evening, according to a media release. Evidence has reportedly indicated that foul play is involved.

Officials believe the incident may have occurred in the area of the Petro Travel Center in New Paris, Ohio, just across the Indiana-Ohio state line.

The coroner’s office said the deceased person has been transported to the Miami Valley Regional Crime Laboratory in Dayton, Ohio, for a forensic autopsy and identification.

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The office is still working the locate and identify the victim’s family.

This remains an active investigation.

News 8’s Michaela Springer contributed to this report.



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Braden Smith to play for hometown Indiana Pacers after NBA draft selection, trade

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Braden Smith to play for hometown Indiana Pacers after NBA draft selection, trade


Braden Smith spent four seasons with Purdue basketball proving all the power conference programs who overlooked him missed out.

Now the former Boilermaker point guard has a chance to do the same in the NBA.

Smith, a Westfield native, is headed to the Pacers after Indiana traded for him when the Chicago Bulls selected him with the 38th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, a source confirmed to IndyStar.

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Smith is Purdue’s third draft pick in five years, joining lottery picks Jaden Ivey and Zach Edey among a group of now 11 NBA draft selections to play at Purdue under Matt Painter.

Here’s a look at Smith’s Purdue career and what he brings to the Pacers.

Before capping a career that includes two Big Ten regular season and two Big Ten Tournament championships, along with helping Purdue end a 44-year Final Four drought, Smith broke former Duke guard Bobby Hurley’s all-time NCAA assists record.

Along the way, Smith took home the 2025 Bob Cousy Award as the nation’s top point guard in a season where he also was the Big Ten Player of the Year. A two-time consensus first-team All-American, Smith finished his Purdue career eighth in career points (1,932), third in steals (249) and has the top three assist seasons in school history that helped add to his NCAA record total of 1,103.

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Smith’s knock is his 5-foot-10 1/2 height measurement, but that didn’t deter him from being one of college basketball’s top players.

What Smith lacked in height, he made up for in basketball IQ. He’s lethal with a midrange jump shot and showcased an unblockable fadeaway that allowed him to shoot over lengthier defenders. He mastered manipulating defenses while playing with marquee big men the last four seasons.

His role in the NBA likely will be not require him to be the team’s primary playmaker immediately. Smith’s awareness of that fact pushed a more defensive-minded approach in preparation for the next level. At the NBA Draft Combine in May, Smith showed he’s capable of defending elite guards.

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Smith is an elite competitor who never showed to shy away from the dirty work, which is something that can help him earn NBA minutes as a rookie while trying to find his footing in an unfamiliar backup role.

Nathan Baird and Sam King have the best Purdue sports coverage, and sign up for IndyStar’s Boilermakers newsletter.



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