The Indiana Fever came agonizingly close to extending their season on Thursday after trailing the Las Vegas Aces for most of the night, but a contested call in Q4 cost Indiana its season. With the Aces eventually pulling away for a 94-83 victory in Game 3, Indiana was left looking back at the moments that could have changed the outcome. And for Caitlin Clark, one of those moments came with just over two minutes remaining in the game.
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Despite the heartbreaking loss, Clark wasn’t interested in overlooking what the Fever had accomplished in a season that ended one round earlier than they hoped. Instead, she pointed to the late sequence involving Kelsey Mitchell and the officials as a moment when Indiana was still very much in the fight.
“Just proud of our group for the way we battled and the way we fought,” Clark said during her post-game interview. “Things didn’t really go our way tonight, but if the challenge at whatever point that was, with two minutes to go, is called correctly when they go to the monitor, it’s a one-possession game, and we have the ball. So, we were right there, and I felt we probably played a ‘C’ game. So, like I said, that probably hurts, but a lot to be proud of at the same time.”
The moment Caitlin Clark was referring to came with the Aces holding an 82-80 lead. With two minutes and 15 seconds left on the clock, Mitchell missed a layup but managed to secure the offensive rebound and went back up for another attempt. But a Las Vegas defender stopped her, and the officials called a foul on Mitchell, awarding possession to the Aces.
Indiana challenged the call, hoping to keep the ball and potentially cut further into Las Vegas’ lead. However, after reviewing the play, the officials determined that the challenge was unsuccessful, leaving the ball with the Aces.
That decision proved costly for the Fever as Las Vegas went on a 6-2 run in a crucial stretch, turning a two-point game into a six-point advantage and putting Indiana in an increasingly difficult position with the clock winding down. Had the call gone Indiana’s way, the outcome could have been very different.
Caitlin Clark ultimately finished with 18 points on 6-of-18 shooting, including 3-of-12 from three, while committing six turnovers. It was not the kind of offensive night she would have wanted in a winner-take-all playoff game, but her postgame assessment went beyond her own numbers.
The Fever had already shown their resilience by forcing a Game 3 after dropping the first round series opener. They pushed the Aces again on Thursday, but Wilson and Las Vegas had enough down the stretch to close the door.
The loss now brings Indiana’s season to an end with a 28-16 run, marking the second consecutive year that the Fever have seen their playoff run stopped by Wilson and the Aces. Last season, Las Vegas eliminated Indiana in the semifinals in a 3-2 series. This time, the Aces ended the Fever’s run in the opening round and advanced to the semifinals. They will now face the winners of the Dallas Wings-Golden State Valkyries playoff series, which is currently tied at 1-1.