CAITLIN CLARK OVERCOMES MIGRAINE TO HELP INDIANA FEVER BEAT PHOENIX MERCURY, FALLS JUST SHORT OF ROOKIE WNBA RECORD

The Indiana Fever overcame a 15-point second-half deficit to record an impressive 88-82 comeback victory over the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA, as Caitlin Clark spurred her side on despite only recently recovering from a migraine. In Sunday evening’s other match, Minnesota Lynx claimed a 70-62 win against the Chicago Sky, with Kayla McBride and Napheesa Collier starring.

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Caitlin Clark and Diana Taurasi

Caitlin Clark overcame a migraine to help Indiana Fever to a 88-82 victory over the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA.

The Fever were 17-4 down in the early stages of the game, and a slight rally took them to 11 points behind at half-time.

Mercury’s lead then extended again to 15 points, but a sterling display from Clark – 15 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds – was part of a huge Fever comeback performance.

Loyd's hot form continues as Seattle do double over Dallas, Connecticut see off Phoenix
Loyd's hot form continues as Seattle do double over Dallas, Connecticut see off Phoenix

Clark, who finished just shy of the WNBA’s first rookie triple-double, didn’t “feel well throughout the entire game” according to Fever head coach Christie Sides.

But she played 39 minutes and 27 seconds, only coming out of the game in the closing stages.

“I’m just happy we won,” Clark, who suffered from migraines during her college career, told ESPN.

“It was cool to play against [Diana Taurasi], and obviously a really great game. This crowd was absolutely incredible.”

Mercury’s Diana Taurasi, 42, is now in her 20th year with the WNBA, and is the current all-time leading scorer in the league.

Taurasi praised her new opponent, saying: “It’s amazing what Caitlin’s been able to do in her short career so far.

 “The one thing that I really love about her, she loves the game. You can tell she’s put the work in. … It’s been a lot of pressure, a lot of things thrown at her, and she keeps showing up and keeps getting better every single game.

“So her future is super bright, and being a veteran and being in this league for a long, long time, it is pretty cool to see that and go into the future.”

Elsewhere, the Minnesota Lynx defeated Chicago Sky 70-62, with Kayla McBride and Napheesa Collier scoring 16 and 13 points respectively.