Caitlin Clark on importance of Aliyah Boston: 'We definitely need her'

It seemed like it was all coming together for the Indiana Fever in the first half of Friday’s game against the Atlanta Dream. The Fever took a commanding 57-41 lead into the break in front of a sold-out crowd at State Farm Arena, fueled by another solid start from Caitlin Clark.

Clark had nine points, three rebounds and four assists at the half as Kelsey Mitchell and N’Alyssa Smith led the way with 14 and 11 points, respectively. Indiana put together such a strong performance even without Aliyah Boston, who played just 12 minutes to start the game after getting into foul trouble.

During her halftime interview, Clark said the goal was to get Boston the ball early before the whistles came in. Out of the break, though, she expects the former South Carolina star to come out firing.

“We definitely need her,” Clark told Tabitha Turner on the ION broadcast. “Looked to run some plays for her early in the first half to get her going. Just some tough calls, but she’ll come out ready in the second half.”

Clark continues to look more comfortable as she adjusts to the WNBA, and that was again the case in the first half as she both facilitated and scored well. That helped Indiana develop a comfortable lead, and the No. 1 pick said it was important to stand strong when Atlanta started to make a run.

“I thought we were just playing with good pace,” Clark said. “We’re moving the ball well. When they went on their runs, we always found a way to respond. But I think our defense to start that second quarter is why we were able to build such a big lead.”

Indiana has been red-hot as of late, putting together its first three-game winning streak of the season to bring a 6-10 record into Friday’s matchup. The Fever got victories over the Dream, Chicago Sky and Washington Mystics before hitting the road for a five-game swing – including three on the West Coast after a highly anticipated trip to Chicago on Sunday.

It also seems like the connection between Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston, in particular, is starting to find its stride. Over the last three games entering Friday’s matchup in Atlanta, the former South Carolina star is averaging 22.6 points after an up-and-down start to the year. As for Clark, the court vision that stood out at Iowa is again showing up at the professional level.