Matthew Byrne Articles - Page 3

INDIANAPOLIS — By pretty undebatable consensus, Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark posted her best all-around performance in the WNBA to date in the team’s 91-83 win over the Chicago Sky Sunday. The No. 1 pick had 23 points, shooting 7-for-11 with nine assists and eight rebounds. “I’ve had some good games and I’ve had some […]

INDIANAPOLIS — Perhaps it’s not surprising that in the second rendition of the Indiana Fever-Chicago Sky showdown, players couldn’t get through another third quarter without committing another Flagrant I foul. On Sunday, Angel Reese hacked Caitlin Clark to the ground. “It’s just a part of basketball,” Clark said afterward. “It is what it is. She […]

INDIANAPOLIS — The 2022 and 2023 WNBA No. 1 overall picks were locked in shot-for-shot Thursday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Indiana Fever’s Aliyah Boston began the duel under the basket. The Atlanta Dream’s Rhyne Howard responded on the other end, 24 feet out. Boston got another layup. Howard splashed once more beyond the arc […]

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — The opening question in the postgame press conference for Indiana Fever head coach Christie Sides Monday night was, “What went so terribly awry defensively in the team’s 89-72 loss at the Connecticut Sun?” Sides paused for seconds, then she responded.  “I’m gonna start with, you can’t at this level coach effort,” Sides […]

WASHINGTON — Indiana Fever head coach Christie Sides may not have outright said so, but Friday night’s game at the Washington Mystics was a must-win. Caitlin Clark and the Fever put themselves there.  Indiana’s 2-9 record in the opening 20 days of the regular season, without marquee wins over league powerhouses like the New York […]

WASHINGTON — Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark has become the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 200-plus points and 50-plus assists. In the team’s 85-83 win at the Washington Mystics Friday night, Clark surged to match her career-high 30 points. Within it, she hit seven 3-pointers, the new Fever rookie record. Only three other […]

BROOKLYN — The Indiana Fever were unable to conclude their 11-game, 20-day marathon of an opening to the 2024 season unscathed. In the fourth quarter of the Fever’s 104-68 defeat at the hands of the New York Liberty Sunday evening, back-to-back No. 1 picks Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston exited the game for the locker […]

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Fever matinee matchup versus the Chicago Sky was all about the long-awaited showdown between Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso. All three rookies were top-seven picks in the draft. Clark and Cardoso played in the 2024 NCAA national title in April. Clark and Reese had the “You can’t see me” […]

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Fever head coach Christie Sides backed up her words Thursday night. In the third quarter of the Fever’s 103-88 loss at home to the Seattle Storm, Sides was whistled for her first technical of the season. The coach disagreed with the no-foul call when rookie Caitlin Clark drove to the basket and was […]

INDIANAPOLIS — Los Angeles Sparks 6-foot-7 center Li Yueru tried for the step-through layup over Indiana Fever center Temi Fagbenle. Yueru’s shot was blocked, but not by Fagbenle. She did shape Yueru’s indirect path to the basket, yet it was actually 6-foot rookie guard Caitlin Clark with the block from behind. Clark whipped the ball up […]

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark was assessed her second technical foul of the season Tuesday night in the team’s 88-82 loss at home to the Los Angeles Sparks. Toward the end of the first quarter, Clark apparently jawed at the referee for too long and was whistled.  On the play that led up to […]

Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young snatched the ball from Indiana Fever top-overall pick Caitlin Clark at center-court and scored without trouble. Six minutes remained in the second quarter of Saturday night’s contest at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas. On the Fever’s next possession, Clark brought the ball up the floor once more, then […]

Caitlin Clark charged toward the basket, dribbling with her right hand. The rookie halted her advance, crossed behind the back into her step-back stance, and loaded back into her right hand. She juked Kia Nurse good, created enough space, and swished the side-logo triple to put the Indiana Fever up by five points over Cameron […]

The Indiana Fever picked up their first win of the season Friday night 78-73 over the Los Angeles Sparks. For players like second-year forward Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark, the back-to-back top-overall picks for the Fever in the past two WNBA Drafts, the start to the season hasn’t been the easiest. After an 0-5 start, […]

Following Wednesday night’s 85-83 loss at the Seattle Storm, the Indiana Fever are winless through their first five games to begin the season. The Fever’s first two losses were by 20 or more points, but over the next three, they trimmed the deficit margins from 11-to-four-to-two.  Right after Wednesday’s defeat, Indiana head coach Christie Sides […]

Indiana Fever third-year forward NaLyssa Smith picked up the steal and raced to midcourt. The Fever were in transition. Smith maneuvered, opening up an angle to sling the ball up the floor to teammate Katie Lou Samuelson. But Smith telegraphed the bounce pass way too soon. The Seattle Storm easily took it back, passed up […]

INDIANAPOLIS —  With roughly five minutes to go in Monday night’s rematch between the Indiana Fever and the Connecticut Sun, Temi Fagbenle grabbed her 10th rebound for Indiana. The 6-foot-4 backup center passed to star rookie Caitlin Clark and glid so fast on the floor to be in perfect position for Clark’s return dish. The transition […]

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark exited Monday night’s game versus the Connecticut Sun with an apparent left ankle injury. Midway through the second quarter, Clark rolled her ankle, right before merging with Connecticut forward Brionna Jones’ ball-screen.  “I turned it pretty good,” Clark said after the game. “I think it just got caught… […]

Indiana Fever top-overall pick Caitlin Clark has become only the fourth rookie in WNBA history to have scored 50-plus points and dish out 15-plus assists through their first three career games. Clark joins the premiere company of Candace Parker, Sue Bird and Nikki McCray.  In elite company 👏 Caitlin Clark joins Candace Parker, Sue Bird […]

To begin Saturday’s matinee, the New York Liberty won the tip-off and promptly got into position for their opening set on offense. But it’s what the Indiana Fever had practiced for the day before: battling through ball-screens. New York tagged both on Kelsey Mitchell, to allow room for their 3-point specialist Sabrina Ionescu. Yet Mitchell […]

INDIANAPOLIS — If the Fever got punched in the mouth Tuesday night in the season-opening 92-71 loss at Connecticut, as Indiana head coach Christie Sides described it, then the Fever got battered by the New York Liberty in the home opener Thursday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.  The Fever were stomped 102-66. New York’s Breanna Stewart made […]

INDIANAPOLIS — It’s around 11 a.m. at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, eight hours before the Indiana Fever host the New York Liberty in their home-opener. Someone yells it’s time to go, so Liberty players leave shootaround and stream into the tunnel. Some reluctantly sneak in corner threes.  But New York’s Betnijah Laney-Hamilton goes the opposite direction past halfcourt […]

Following Caitlin Clark’s WNBA debut Tuesday night — the most-watched game in the league since 2001 — the Atlanta Dream announced Thursday they will move both home games versus the Fever to State Farm Arena. Home to the Atlanta Hawks, the venue has seated more than 20,000 before.  The Dream will host the Fever on June […]

Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever debut began with an amusing rock-paper-scissors introduction duel with teammate Erica Wheeler. At halftime, with Indiana trailing by 10 points to the Connecticut Sun, Aliyah Boston locked her arm in Clark’s and talked to her the whole walk from the court to the locker room. At the buzzer, Clark ended with […]

The Indiana Fever got an upgrade to their home court this season in Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Indiana’s announcement on X came mere hours before the Fever tip off the regular season at the Connecticut Sun. This means that the court — put in place to celebrate the franchise’s 25th anniversary — will be first unveiled to Fever […]

INDIANAPOLIS –– Wait, Caitlin Clark was fine with missing her University of Iowa graduation? Yep, that’s what the Fever’s top pick said following Monday afternoon’s practice. The Iowa ceremonies happened over the weekend, but Clark was at Fever training camp in Indianapolis. “Honestly, I was kinda glad to not have to go,” Clark joked. “Carver-Hawkeye […]

INDIANAPOLIS –– Turns out, the Indiana Fever are done with final cuts –– for now. The Fever announced their 13-player roster Monday morning, one spot over the maximum limit for the WNBA. The catch was, veteran Damiris Dantas’ contract was temporarily suspended, so the forward is inactive. It’s what allows the Fever to have 13. […]

INDIANAPOLIS –– It was the last play in Fever practice, and naturally, Caitlin Clark got the shot. Clark used the screen to get open on the wing, created just enough space between her and the Fever practice squad defenders, then hoisted her one-legged, faded trademark. They’ve gone in at the buzzer in college many times […]

INDIANAPOLIS –– The Indiana Fever announced some roster transactions Friday afternoon, four days before their season opener next week. Rookie guard out of Florida, Leilani Correa, and third-year guard Maya Caldwell were waived. That leaves one more cut the Fever must make before Tuesday. thank you, Maya ❤️ pic.twitter.com/axw5yTHdPZ — Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) May 10, […]

With 7:39 left in the second quarter of Thursday’s preseason game between the Atlanta Dream and the Indiana Fever, the Dream led by 15 points. Then, Fever bench guard Grace Berger checked in. The storyline was, why’d it take that long? Berger was absent for the whole opening quarter and also two minutes into the […]

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Fever’s two-game preseason concluded Thursday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, with the regular season beginning May 14. Indiana split its preseason, losing to Dallas on May 3, 76-79. But the Fever were on the fortunate side of yet another single-possession scenario, beating the Atlanta Dream 83-80 Thursday. Caitlin Clark scored 33 points […]

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Fever top overall pick Caitlin Clark ripped through the lane with about seven minutes to go in Thursday night’s first quarter. Clark, who led the Fever in scoring with 21 points on May 3 in the team’s WNBA preseason opener at Dallas, scored her first unofficial points at home in Gainbridge Fieldhouse […]