SI

Caitlin Clark Shows Off Incredible Handles in Fever's Last Game Before Break

Tom Dierberger

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark celebrates scoring during a game on July 6 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark celebrates scoring during a game on July 6 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. / Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK
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Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark is determined to go into the WNBA's monthlong Olympic break in style.

Clark wowed the sellout crowd at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas, with a few flashy plays in the first half of the Fever's matchup against the Dallas Wings.

Just a few minutes into the game, Clark dribbled the ball across the half-court line until she was met by Wings guard Odyssey Sims. Clark stopped on a dime, dribbled the ball behind her back and continued into the lane for a layup.

She pulled off a similar move later in the first quarter, creating an open look at a layup with a behind-the-back dribble after taking the ball from coast to coast.

Clark also pulled off a behind-the-back dish to teammate Aliyah Boston in the closing seconds of the first half. Boston didn't make the shot, but she did make both free-throw attempts to trim the Wings' lead.

She had another behind-the-back highlight in the third quarter, finding NaLyssa Smith for an and-one opportunity on a perfect pass in the paint.

At halftime, the Fever trailed the Wings 54–46. Clark posted 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting with eight assists and three rebounds in the first half, while Boston tallied 20 points, five rebounds and three blocks.

Clark's eight assists by halftime bumped her season total to 202, enough to set the Fever's all-time single-season franchise record. She's the second WNBA rookie to reach 200 assists, joining Ticha Penicheiro in 1998.

Winners of three of its last four games entering Wednesday's clash in Dallas, the Fever will return to action Aug. 16 against the Phoenix Mercury to resume the regular season.

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Tom Dierberger

TOM DIERBERGER

Tom Dierberger is a staff writer and editor on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor's in communication from St. John's University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.

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