Storm hand Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever loss in front of record crowd

SEATTLE – More than a few fans at the Storm’s matchup against the Indiana Fever Wednesday night were on hand to witness Caitlin Clark’s first WNBA game in Seattle.

Sprinkled among the franchise record-setting crowd of 18,343 at Climate Pledge Arena were several fans wearing black and gold No. 22 Iowa shirts on hand to cheer the Fever rookie sensation.

Clark didn’t disappoint while shrugging off a cold-shooting stretch at the start and nearly carried Indiana to its first win of the season.

Jewell Loyd scored 32 points and the Storm overcame several miscues at the end to secure an 85-83 win.

Seattle’s Nneka Ogwumike, who missed the previous two games due to an ankle injury, finished with 22 points and nine rebounds.

The Storm’s Ezi Magbegor scored 14 points and Sami Whitcomb added 10.

Ahead 84-83 with 11.3 seconds left, Whitcomb attempted to inbound a pass to Ogwumike, but the ball ricocheted out of bounds.

On the ensuing possession, Clark lost the ball and during the scramble, Jordan Horston forced a jump ball against Aliyah Boston.

The Storm won the tip and Ogwumike connected on 1 of 2 free throws for the final point.

It’s not often when a contest played in the second week of the WNBA season felt like a must-win game, but that’s the scenario the Storm (2-3) were in Wednesday night.

“What’s very crucial for is that we don’t fall in a hole early,” Quinn said noting the Storm trailed in the first quarter in their two previous losses.

On Monday, Seattle fell behind 27-15 during a 74-63 loss against the New York Liberty and last Friday Minnesota jumped on the Storm 22-16 before claiming a 102-93 overtime win.

Heeding Quinn’s hopes for a fast start, Loyd came out firing and scored 12 points on 5-for-7 shooting from the field in the first quarter to carry the Storm to a 25-16 lead in the opening quarter.

Loyd continued her offensive assault in the second quarter and tallied nine points and was joined by Ogwumike, who canned 5 of 6 shots in the period for 10 points.

The dynamic duo tallied all the points in the second quarter for the Storm, which took a 44-40 lead into halftime.

The third quarter belonged to Clark who had five points on a 2-for-9 shooting performance in the first half and sank 3 of 4 shots in the third for nine points.

With Clark dropping two of her trademark long-distance 3-pointers, the Fever took control and outscored the Storm 20-14 in the quarter to go up 60-58 heading to the fourth.

“It’s not just one person guarding one person today,” Quinn said. “It’s a team effort, especially when you think about the ability to be physical and being in space with our coverages on Caitlin.

“We’re well aware that Kelsey Mitchell is having a great start to the season. She’s really important. Connectivity is knowing the assignment and following the scout.”

Clark finished with 21 points on 6-for-16 shooting from the floor, seven rebounds and seven assists while Mitchel chipped in 17 points and NaLyssa Smith (16) for the Fever (0-5).

Central Valley graduate Lexie Hull scored five points for the Fever.