On the verge of going under 0.500 for the season, the Indiana Fever needed a hero, and none other than Caitlin Clark woke up from her slump to be just that.

Down one point in the final possession for the Fever, the Washington Mystics made the huge mistake of leaving Clark wide open outside the arc after an inbound pass from Sophie Cunningham.

After that, it was the easy part as Clark swished the three-pointer with 1.2 seconds to go in the fourth quarter. The Fever won 78-76, improving their record to 6-5 for the season.

Clark led all scorers in the game with 19 points on 7-of-16 field goal percentage, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds, a great showcase after what was an uncharacteristic few sets of games from the 2024 No. 1 overall pick.

While the Fever won, head coach Stephanie White would not be the happiest with how the game went down the wire, especially when Indiana was up by as many as 16 points until Washington started to make a comeback.

Thanks to a layup by Shakira Austin, the Mystics took a 74-73 lead with under a minute remaining. Clark somehow missed both free-throw attempts until Kelsey Mitchell gave the Fever the lead with a clutch layup.

However, Mystics guard Sonia Citron took the lead right back after scoring both her free throws.

Regardless of the sequence, the game will be remembered for Clark's last shot of the game, as the Fever continue to march on in the hopes of defending their Commissioner's Cup crown.

Fever teammate Aliyah Boston said postgame: "Are we surprised? Caitlin Clark is Caitlin Clark. She's a shooter, and you can't leave her that open."

Meanwhile, White believes that Clark's clutch three-pointer could be the catalyst for her gaining back her confidence after some rough efficiency games.

Stephanie White Believes This Game Could Be the Turning Point for Their Season

The Fever are not where they hoped to be at the start of the season, and even the players would agree that, so far, they have underperformed.

But on Monday night, the Fever fans would leave with a great feeling, not because Clark's game-winning three-pointer won them tonight's game, but because it truly feels like this could be a pivotal moment in the team's season.

Add White into that feeling, as she spoke about how Clark's game-winning shot could play a role in gaining momentum for the rest of the season.

"You know, this is what Caitlin does. She makes big shots, and she has big moments. I think when you have a player like her, it's very easy for people to just take it for granted, and to think that everything that she does is always going to be easy, and flawless, and she's just going to step up and she's going to do it every time," White said.

White also added that we take players like Clark for granted, and that she is going to have many more moments like these ahead.

As the Indiana Fever march on to play the Chicago Sky next, White is spot on that this could be a major confidence booster for Clark. And given that the Fever go as Clark goes, this could unlock the entire team's potential and spark a run up the league standings.

So, do you think the Indiana Fever will defend their Commissioner's Cup title? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Joy Bassy

Edited by

Joy Bassy