The Indiana Fever defeated the Atlanta Dream, 91-79, on Friday in front of a record-breaking 17,575 fans at State Farm Arena. Atlanta set a franchise record for single-game home attendance, surpassing the 11,609 fans who saw the team’s inaugural game against the Detroit Shock in 2008 at Philips Arena.
The game was played at the home of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks due to high ticket demand to see Clark, the No. 1 draft pick. The Dream’s usual home at Gateway Center Arena in College Park, where they’ve played since 2021, has a capacity of 3,500.
Caitlin Clark had 16 points and seven assists, and NaLyssa Smith led the team with 21 points and nine rebounds.
Indiana scored a season-high 35 first-quarter points to build a 10-point lead after shooting 70% from the field. Clark made her fourth 3-pointer, and Indiana’s 10th, to extend the lead to 71-60 midway through the third quarter. It came during an 11-3 run that ended in a 79-62 lead. The Fever cruised in the fourth.
Friday’s victory marked the Fever’s fourth consecutive game win, something the franchise had not achieved since 2015. What’s more, the last time the Fever accomplished this feat, they went to the 2015 WNBA Finals.
Atlanta’s next home game against Indiana will also be played at State Farm Arena on August 26.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
“These types of environments for me, it’s not that different [than college at Iowa],” Clark said Friday, per ESPN. “I’m putting on a different jersey, but these environments are something that I [have] become … accustomed to playing in — and it’s fun. I’ve never played in Atlanta before. It’s fun going to all these new cities as a rookie and getting to play in front of their crowds. … You could just feel the energy in the building [on Friday], and that’s what makes basketball so fun.”
Indiana now boasts a 7-10 record (.412) after starting the season 1-8.
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