Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell lead Fever to blowout vs Sun after horrific first quarter

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indiana Fever will head into the FIBA world Cup break with a win, as they took down the Connecticut Sun, 111-91, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Friday night.

Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell were the stars of the show, as usual, and the Fever rebounded from a terrible first quarter to come out with a dominating win.

Combined with Atlanta's loss to Portland on Friday night, Indiana (26-14) has moved up to fourth in the standings. Indiana will return on Sept. 18 following the FIBA break.

Here's what I liked and disliked from the Fever's win over the Sun:

• The second quarter: It took the Fever about 10 minutes, but they started to wake up in the second quarter. Caitlin Clark went on a 5-0 run herself to start the second with a stepback 3-pointer and a layup, and the Fever overall went on a 10-2 run to get within one point, forcing the Sun to take a timeout at the seven-minute mark of the second quarter. Indiana's run only continued from there, with Aliyah Boston tying the game, Clark going on another 5-0 self run, and Mitchell capping off a 10-0 run with a layup to put the Fever up double digits. What was a terrible first quarter became a fantastic second quarter, with Indiana outscoring Connecticut 39-15 and finishing the half on a 17-2 run.
• Star backcourt, as usual: It's getting to the point in Mitchell and Clark's seasons that the extraordinary things they do every game seems ordinary. Mitchell extended her streak of 20+ points to 24 games with 34 points and added on four assists, including a nifty behind-the-back pass to Makayla Timpson, and Clark finished with 34 points and 12 assists with her signature long range 3-pointers and football passes to Mitchell. Clark and Mitchell went on an 11-0 run themselves in the fourth quarter, giving the Fever an insurmountable 18-points lead.

• Terrible playin first quarter: The Connecticut Sun came into Indianapolis as the second-worst team in the league and missing three starters due to injury and overseas obligations. The Fever had their entire rotation intact, including Team USA members Clark and Boston. Still, Indiana fell down to Connecticut's level of play -- or even worse, as they were down 28-19 after the first quarter. The Fever went seven minutes of the first quarter without a field goal, from a layup from Lexie Hull at the 7:54 mark to a 3-pointer from Ty Harris at the 14-second mark. They did have 14 free-throw attempts in the first, but made just nine of them. Meanwhile, Diamond Miller did whatever she wanted for Connecticut, going 4-of-7 from the field (2-of-3 from 3-point range) for 12 points in the first. It was an early meltdown from the Fever, putting them in a hole against a team they should've had no problem dominating.
• Continued bad free-throw shooting: The Fever have struggled with subpar free-throw shooting for three weeks now, dating back to their game against Las Vegas on Aug. 6. It continued on Friday night as Indiana started its night from the line at 9-of-14 in the first quarter, then continued to flounder even as they built up a big lead.

Indiana got some help from Atlanta, and the combination of a Fever win plus a Dream loss gives Indiana a slight edge in the standings, back up to a hosting seed in the first round. The Fever still need to win as many of their final four games (Toronto, Washington, and Minnesota twice) as possible to give them the best chance at a hosting seed in the playoffs, but this win gives them a good basis heading into the three-week break.

Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at chloe.peterson@indystar.com. Get IndyStar's Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter. Subscribe to IndyStar TV: Fever for in-depth analysis, behind-the-scenes coverage and more.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell lead Fever to blowout vs Sun after horrific first quarter