12 standouts from Wednesday’s packed WNBA slate, including Caitlin Clark, Dearica Hamby, Jewell Loyd, and more
Here’s who stood out in the Fever’s big win over the Sun, the Sparks defeat of the Liberty, and three other WNBA games with major playoff implications.
Good morning, WNBA fans! Wednesday night was as busy a slate as they get, with five WNBA games that resulted in several surprising outcomes.
Here are the final scores from yesterday’s game:
- The Washington Mystics (9-22) beat the Chicago Sky (11-19) — 74-70
- The Indiana Fever (15-16) beat the Connecticut Sun (22-8) — 84-40
- The Minnesota Lynx (23-8) beat the Phoenix Mercury (16-16) — 89-76
- The Los Angeles Sparks (6-24) beat the New York Liberty (26-5) — 94-88
- The Seattle Storm (18-11) beat the Atlanta Dream (10-19) — 85-81
Here were Wednesday’s top performers:
Kelsey Mitchell, Indiana Fever
Kelsey Mitchell has been on an absolute tear, and Wednesday night was no exception. She finished with a game-high 23 points on 8-14 shooting, alongside 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks. She becomes the first player in franchise history to score at least 20 points in five consecutive games.
“Kelsey Mitchell is special,” said Fever head coach Christy Sides. “She’s a special player, And now the players that she has around her give her the opportunity to get freed up a lot more than she has in the past. She’s playing with such confidence.”
DiJonai Carrington, Connecticut Sun
Carrington led the Sun in scoring with 19 points on 7-13 FG in Wednesday’s loss to the Fever. She also posted 6 steals, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists, powering the team’s offense while being tasked with guarding Caitlin Clark for most of the night.
“I thought she was really good for us,” Sun head coach Stephanie White said. “Her ability to get downhill, her ability to get in, out, in transition, to get to the free throw line. She wreaks havoc defensively, but she’s gotten this explosiveness that we don’t have, so we need her to continue to stay aggressive on the offensive end while continuing to do what she does best on the defensive end for us.
Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever
Clark and the Fever have been rolling since the Olympic break. In Wednesday’s massive win over the Sun, Clark finished 19 points (7-17 FG), 5 rebounds, and 5 assists — though, being guarded by DiJonai Carrington, she also recorded 7 turnovers.
Clark blew past the Sun’s Veronica Burton for a go-ahead layup with a minute and a half to go — Connecticut didn’t score the rest of the way. She’s still not shooting the way we know she can, but Clark powered a Fever offense that withstood one of the league’s top defenses.
“It’s definitely up there with one of the most physical games I’ve played so far,” Clark said postgame.
Ariel Atkins, Washington Mystics
The Washington Mystics have won three games in a row for the first time all season — against the Sparks, Storm, and Sky. On Wednesday, Ariel Atkins was key in the win over Chicago, recording 15 points (6-10 FG), 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. The Mystics finished the game on a 13-2 run.
“She just looked she looked really poised,” said Mystics head coach Eric Thibault. “She looked just under control. I think I’ve said it before — when it gets a little physical and stuff that doesn’t really bother her, just kind of maybe helps her focus in or locked into what she needs to do.”
Courtney Williams, Minnesota Lynx
Courtney Williams has emerged as one of the most underrated players in the WNBA. The Lynx have won 7 games in a row, and Williams has been a big reason why. In the win over the Mercury, she recorded 16 points (8-16 FG), 5 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals. She was also a team-high +25 in her minutes.
“I think just getting into the pick and roll, teams going under and knocking down the shots,” Williams said, describing her increased offensive comfortability. “When they let me get to my spots it’s on me to knock them down and that’s what I’ve been doing.”
Dearica Hamby, Los Angeles Sparks
Though the Sparks have struggled this season, Dearica Hamby has put together an MVP-level season, averaging 17.9 points on 51.4% shooting, 9.8 points, 3.5 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. She finished with 21 points (9-15 FG), 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block in Wednesday’s win over the Liberty.
Rickea Jackson, Los Angeles Sparks
Rickea Jackson continues to put together a stellar rookie campaign. In the Sparks win over the Liberty, Jackson posted 19 points (7-11 FG), 3 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals.
“It’s remarkable how much she’s improved within the season,” said Sparks head coach Curt Miller of his rookie. “She is competing so hard at the defensive end now, she was fighting through screening tonight, she was switching and battling people bigger than her, she was staying in play. There is a absolute intent and dedication to that end of the floor, which is really fun to see. It doesn’t get talked about because she’s such a dynamic, three level scorer.”
Rae Burrell, Los Angeles Sparks
In the Sparks win over the Liberty, Rae Burrell exploded for a season-high 18 points (on 7-8 shooting), including 3-3 from beyond the arc.
“Everybody likes to see the shots going,” Burrell said. “It makes you feel good. I’m just happy that my team was able to put me in great positions to get those shots, and I’m just happy that they’re able to celebrate me too. That also makes me feel really great, the support that they have for me.”
Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty
Breanna Stewart and the Liberty dropped a surprising game to the Sparks, but Stewart was brilliant nonetheless. She finished the game with 32 points (11-19 FG), 6 rebounds, and 2 steals.
“I think we can come out a little bit more aggressive, but also kind of smarter,” Stewart said. “We’re just trying to make the home-run play or look to score on the first side, putting ourselves in a bad position. I think that it’s on the starters, on myself to make sure that we’re ready to come out and know where the ball is going to go. So we kind of just need to grow up in that aspect.”
Jewell Loyd, Seattle Storm
Jewell Loyd led the Storm with 28 points (8-22 FG), 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals in Wednesday’s win over the Dream. She also hit a go-ahead three pointer with 28 seconds to play, when Atlanta led by 1.
“It was a great set-up, and I was telling Nneka that it was such a great screen that it was hard not to take that shot,” Loyd said. “The whole theme tonight was just team effort. Everyone made big plays and big shots, and that’s what we need. It was a great pass, it was a great screen, and I was able to knock that shot down.”
Tina Charles, Atlanta Dream
Tina Charles recorded the franchise’s first-ever triple-double in Wednesday’s loss to the Storm. She recorded 19 points (8-15 FG), 17 rebounds, 10 assists, and 4 steals.
“She continues to etch her name in the history books,” said Storm head coach Noelle Quinn.
Charles — who was out of the WNBA last season — was emotional about her success this year.
“I just give glory to God,” Charles said. “Where I was last year, where I am now, back in the WNBA. I just thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I’m just very thankful. I wish we came out with the win, but at this age in my career, I’m just taken aback. Very emotional about it, but it’s just God.”
Nneka Ogwumike, Seattle Storm
Nneka Ogwumike has been the Storm’s most consistent player this season, and Wednesday was no exception. Ogwumike recorded 18 points (8-15 FG), 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block in the win over the Dream. Head coach Noelle Quinn praised the Storm’s effort, particularly in the context of Monday’s disappointing loss against the Mystics.
“This was night and day,” said Quinn. “We talked about it for a day and a half, the appropriate mindset and the manner in which you have to be a pro, and I thought our team did that.”