Boston, Clark help Indiana Fever rally past Atlanta Dream in OT win

INDIANAPOLIS -- A career night from Aliyah Boston and another double-double from Caitlin Clark on Sunday allowed the Indiana Fever to earn a 104-100 overtime win over the Atlanta Dream.

Fans at Gainbridge Fieldhouse were awarded free basketball as the two teams were tied at 90-all at the end of regulation. Indiana outscored Atlanta 14-10 in overtime to seal its 19th win.

Boston, who made the game-tying shot to force overtime, finished with a career-high 30 points on 11-for-16 shooting (68.8%) from the field. She added 13 rebounds and five assists.

“We got the ball inside to Aliyah and she executed what we needed her to do,” said Indiana head coach Christie Sides. “This game showed a lot of growth for our players. You know … just have to turn it on sooner. I challenged them at halftime. We just weren’t executing (early in the game). Then we changed all that.”

After the game, Boston spoke about her mindset for each contest.

“I just tell myself to dominate,” Boston said. “That’s really my mindset, no matter who I’m playing.

“Right now we’re kind of in the space where we just have to make sure that we’re keeping our foot on the gas. Just continuing to know that even if we’re down, no matter what the time of the game is, we’re very capable of coming back.”

The center has done just that -- dominate -- the last three games. She had 20 points against the Minnesota Lynx on Friday and 24 points against the Los Angeles Sparks on Wednesday. Over her last three games, she is shooting 63.8% from the field.

Clark finished with 26 points, 12 assists and five rebounds Sunday, recording her 14th double-double of the season -- a new franchise record. Her play in the second half (20 points) was crucial as Indiana trailed by 16 points midway through the third quarter.

Clark’s backcourt partner, Kelsey Mitchell, reached the 20-point mark for the 16th time this season in the win. She finished with 21 points on 8-for-16 shooting from the field. Mitchell also grabbed four rebounds.

Also for the Fever, Lexie Hull continued her hot shooting streak, finishing 4-for-5 from deep for 12 points. She is shooting a league-best 67.9% from behind the arc since Aug. 1. Temi Fagbenle added nine points off the bench and had a plus-minus of plus-21, which led the team.

Sunday’s win helped Indiana (19-17) get back on track after losing to Minnesota (26-9) on Friday. The Lynx snapped the Fever’s five-game win streak in the 99-88 victory.

Indiana plays again Wednesday at home against the Las Vegas Aces (22-13) -- the defending WNBA champions. The Fever will play the Aces again on Friday before a contest against the Dallas Wings (9-26) on Sunday.

Indiana’s final regular season contest (road game) is set for Sept. 19 against the Washington Mystics (11-24). The WNBA Playoffs will begin Sept. 22.

Beth Prince State Farm Player of the Game: Aliyah Boston for scoring a career-high 30 points, including the game-tying basket in the fourth quarter to force overtime.

Notes: The Fever are 8-2 since the Olympics break and have won 11 of their last 15 games. … Indiana committed 17 turnovers Sunday, nine coming from Clark. … Clark is now just 11 assists away from breaking the WNBA single-season assist record. … The Fever are one game away from reaching the 20-win mark for the ninth time in franchise history. … The last time Indiana won 20 games was in 2015 (20-14) under head coach Stephanie White.

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