INDIANAPOLIS — Caitlin Clark scored 20 points and had nine assists without ever coming out of the game, but the Indiana Fever continued to struggle on Thursday night in a 103-88 loss to the Seattle Storm.
Jewell Loyd had 22 points and Skylar Diggins-Smith added 18 points and nine assists as the Storm (5-3) scored a season high in points. Nneka Ogwumike scored 17 for the Storm.
Clark, who had three 3-pointers, played all 40 minutes of a WNBA game for the first time in front of a near-sellout crowd, but could not prevent the Fever from falling to 1-8, the second-worst record in the league.
The Storm ripped off a 10-0 run in the first quarter and never trailed after that.
Seattle led 47-41 at halftime before opening the third quarter on a 12-2 run. The Storm made 12 of 17 shots in the quarter to outscore the Fever 34-18.
Loyd, the league’s reigning scoring leader, scored a season-high 32 points in a May 22 home win over Indiana.
Fever forward NaLyssa Smith, back in the starting lineup due to Temi Fagbenle’s left foot injury, scored 15 of her team-high 23 points in the first half. She also had 10 rebounds.
As the deficit widened, Fever coach Christie Sides was hit with a technical foul for protesting a non-call on a Clark drive to the basket.
UP NEXT
Seattle: Hosts Phoenix on Tuesday night.
Indiana: Hosts Chicago on Saturday.
Seattle 103, Indiana 88
SEATTLE (103) — Ogwumike 8-11 0-0 17, Vivians 2-4 0-0 5, Magbegor 4-10 6-7 15, Diggins-Smith 8-14 0-1 18, Loyd 8-14 4-4 22, Horston 6-9 0-0 12, Fankam Mendjiadeu 0-0 0-0 0, Russell 3-6 1-2 7, Mühl 0-1 0-0 0, Whitcomb 2-5 0-0 4, Williams 1-1 0-0 3. Totals: 42-75 11-14 103.
INDIANA (88) — Smith 8-14 6-7 23, Wallace 1-4 0-0 2, Boston 4-7 2-2 11, Clark 6-17 5-5 20, Mitchell 5-16 3-4 14, Samuelson 4-6 0-0 12, Saxton 0-0 0-0 0, Berger 1-4 4-4 6, Hull 0-2 0-0 0, Taylor 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 29-70 20-22 88.
Seattle 27 20 34 22 — 103
Indiana 20 21 18 29 — 88
3-Point Goals—Seattle 8-19 (Diggins-Smith 2-4, Loyd 2-4, Ogwumike 1-1, Williams 1-1, Magbegor 1-2, Vivians 1-3, Horston 0-1, Mühl 0-1, Whitcomb 0-2), Indiana 10-25 (Samuelson 4-6, Clark 3-8, Boston 1-1, Smith 1-3, Mitchell 1-4, Wallace 0-1, Hull 0-2). Fouled Out—Seattle 1 (Whitcomb), Indiana None. Rebounds—Seattle 32 (Magbegor 8), Indiana 36 (Boston 12). Assists—Seattle 29 (Diggins-Smith 9), Indiana 21 (Clark 9). Total Fouls—Seattle 22, Indiana 16. A—15,022 (20,000).
