Washington Mystics sell out game vs. Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever after moving to NBA arena
Women’s basketball fans simply can’t get enough of Caitlin Clark. That’s been the case for the past two years. And the former Iowa superstar has continued to smash attendance records all across the WNBA in her rookie campaign. Ahead of the Fever’s matchup with the Washington Mystics in Washington, DC, the game was moved to Capital One Arena, which has 16,000 more seats than their normal 4,200 arena.
The game was still sold out and tickets were snapped up in a matter of 30 minutes. Here’s a look at the sold-out Capital One Arena on Friday evening.
The Fever vs. the Mystics was the highest-attended WNBA game since 2007, with 20,333. Both teams had a combined record of 3-20 coming into the matchup, and they still shattered records. There are few forces in women’s sports that are drawing eyeballs quite like Caitlin Clark.
Caitlin Clark delivered yet another historic performance
Clark did not disappoint the record crowd in attendance, draining seven three-pointers. She finished the night with 30 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and four steals. The seven threes tied the record for the most ever made in WNBA history by a rookie. They’re also a career-high for her during her debut season in the league. She also became the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 200-plus points and 50-plus assists, according to StatMamba. Not only that, Clark also became the first player in league history to score 200 points and dish out 75 assists in her first 12 career games.
Indiana had to battle to edge out the 85-83 win over the Washington Mystics. Clark also shot 53.3% from the field in the win. NaLyssa Smith also pumped in 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Fever. The Mystics got a great performance from Stefanie Dolson, who scored 19 points, grabbed six rebounds, and dished out three assists. Aaliyah Edwards also had a double-double for Washington, stuffing the stat sheet with 10 points and 12 rebounds, while also dishing out two assists. Point guard Julie Vanloo chipped in with nine points, three rebounds, and six assists for the Mystics.
The Fever hit 16 of their 35 threes on Friday night, shooting 45.7% from deep. The 16 made threes set a new franchise record for the most three-pointers made in a game. The Mystics connected on 13 of their 34 threes, shooting 38.2% from long range. Washington only connected on 8 of 13 free throws (61.5%), which ended up being costly in the end.