Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark and her team were eliminated from the WNBA postseason on Thursday following a 94-83 loss to the Las Vegas Aces in a winner-take-all Game 3 first-round series at Michelob ULTRA Arena. Clark finished the elimination game with 18 points, four assists, and six turnovers while shooting 6 of 18 from the field, including 3 of 12 from 3-point range, as four-time MVP A’ja Wilson led the Aces with 36 points and 10 rebounds.
Fever Season Ends in Las Vegas
The 94-83 defeat closed out Indiana’s first-round playoff exit. Clark reflected on the end of the run after the final buzzer, noting her limited postseason sample size. “Obviously, probably let this hurt a little bit,” Clark said. “This is really only my fifth game playing in the postseason, so you kind of take the burn a little bit, but also how much fun this season was and how together our group was and just getting to replicate that going forward.” Lexie Hull was tossed to the ground during Game 3 and called for a foul, sparking fierce protests from head coach Stephanie White and the Fever bench for a review that never materialized.
Hull was slammed to the floor in a sequence described as an armbar and suplex. Despite the impact, officials called the foul on Hull. White, Hull, and the Fever bench spent 60 seconds pleading for a review, but referees allowed the Aces to take free throws and continued the game without explanation.
Aces Veteran Core Dominates Game Three
Las Vegas leaned heavily on its veteran roster to secure the series win. Vegas’ big three of Wilson (36 points), Chelsea Gray (23 points), and Jackie Young (18 points) combined for 77 of the Aces’ 94 points. “We’ve got to give credit to the Aces,” Clark said. “I thought they played well. I thought they were ready to go. That’s what championship teams do.” Wilson recorded 36 points on 61.1% shooting while avoiding foul trouble, adding to a legacy where she has fouled out zero times over her 305-game career.
Clark and Indiana Reflect on Missed Opportunities
The Fever entered the league’s 30th season with high championship aspirations after setting offensive records, with Clark and Kelsey Mitchell finishing second and third in league scoring behind Wilson. However, inconsistent play dropped Indiana from a top-four seed to the No. 6 spot after the FIFA World Cup break. Mitchell pointed to the vast disparity in playoff pedigree between the two franchises, noting that the Aces entered with years of deep postseason runs while the Fever roster featured only 19 collective games of playoff experience heading into the previous year.
The disparity was stark in 2024, when the Fever first returned to the playoffs since the retirement of Tamika Catchings in 2016. That year, their first-round opponent was a Connecticut Sun team led by Stephanie White, which possessed 222 collective games of playoff experience. The Fever drafted Clark, the all-time leading scorer for NCAA men and women, and South Carolina champion Aliyah Boston in 2024 and 2023, respectively.
Clark struggled in the two losses of this series, averaging 16.5 points, 7.0 assists, and 6.0 turnovers. Across the entire series, she shot 33.3% from deep and 39.6% from the field. This follows a professional career marked by injury; Clark missed most of her second season due to a bone bruise in her left ankle and a groin injury.
Stat Lines from the Aces and Fever Elimination Game
What were Caitlin Clark’s stats in the Game 3 loss to the Aces?
Caitlin Clark scored 18 points with four assists and six turnovers, shooting 6 of 18 from the floor and 3 of 12 from beyond the arc.
How many points did A’ja Wilson score for Las Vegas?
A’ja Wilson led all scorers with 36 points and grabbed 10 rebounds while shooting 61.1% from the field in the series-clinching win.
What was the final score of the elimination game?
The Las Vegas Aces defeated the Indiana Fever 94-83 on Thursday at Michelob ULTRA Arena to sweep the first-round series.
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