Wings coach sends message on Caitlin Clark after beating Fever

The Indiana Fever are now 2-1 in their five-game road trip after falling to the Dallas Wings on Thursday, 91-85.

Paige Bueckers had a near triple-double for the home squad with 13 points, six rebounds and eight assists. Jessica Shepard had 26 points and eight rebounds, while Arike Ogunbowale led the way for Dallas with 32 points.

The Fever were led by Kelsey Mitchell, who had an efficient night. The four-time WNBA All-Star scored 37 points on 50% shooting from the field and 57.1% from three.

Even though Caitlin Clark managed to get nine assists, the Wings held her to only 10 points. She shot 26.7% from the field and 25% from three.

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) looks on in the second half against the Las Vegas Aces.

Wings head coach Jose Fernandez addresses Caitlin Clark matchup

Dallas coach Jose Fernandez said that their game plan was to get the ball out of Clark’s hands.

“We wanted to get it out of her hands,” he said. “In any pick-and-roll situation in the middle of the floor, she’s so good.”

“We wanted to get it out of her hands and make other people make shots,” Fernandez added.

The Fever star was on a hot streak coming into the game. She had scored 20 or more points in Indiana’s last six games. She’s also averaging 21.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game this season.

The last time Clark scored less than 10 points was on July 8 against the Los Angeles Sparks.

The Wings improve to 21-16 this season after the win. Dallas’ next game will be on Sunday when they host the Seattle Storm. The Fever, on the other hand, dropped to 24-13. They will be back on the court on Saturday against the New York Liberty.