Indiana loses composure — and game — in third quarter

INDIANAPOLIS — A lousy third quarter led the Fever to drop a game against the Minnesota Lynx, 99-88, on Friday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

The Fever are now 18-17, still at No. 6 in the standings. Minnesota will jump up to No. 2 in the standings at 25-9, just ahead of Connecticut’s 24-9

Here are some observations:

Fever score:Indiana Fever fall to Minnesota Lynx 99-88. Caitlin Clark has 25 points, 5 3s in loss.

Fever crumble in third quarter, attempt comeback in fourth

Going into halftime, the Fever had a good grip on the game. They led the third-place Lynx, 50-45, and had a chance to build on their momentum going into the second half.

When the Fever start losing their composure, it heavily affects their shooting. The Lynx started the half on a 7-0 run, and in that time, Aliyah Boston picked up a technical foul.

Fever rookie Caitlin Clark became visibly frustrated with the referees, including in one instance where she fell to the ground after a clean block from Napheesa Collier; she laid on the ground as the rest of her teammates went back on transition defense, getting up after Collier made a shot on the other end. After the Lynx were called for a defensive foul on the next possession, Clark clapped her hands toward the referee while walking to huddle up.

That frustration translated into their shooting; the Fever shot just 3-of-15 from the floor in the third quarter, turned the ball over six times, and were called for six fouls.

Minnesota scored 29 points in the quarter, taking advantage of the Fever’s exasperation to shoot 11-of-17 from the field with three 3-pointers. That allowed Minnesota to turn a five-point deficit into a 12-point advantage in the course of 10 minutes.

While the Fever rebounded in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Lynx, it wasn’t enough to regain a lead at any point.

Aliyah Boston picks up second tech in one week

After going her entire rookie season without a technical foul, second-year center Aliyah Boston has now picked up two within the last week.

The first came at halftime of the Fever’s win over the Sky on Aug. 30; she picked up a technical for arguing with the ref while walking to the locker room after the halftime buzzer sounded. The second came seven days later on Friday night against the Lynx — she clapped her hands and argued with a ref after they called a ball out of bounds on the Fever in the third quarter.

Neither ended up affecting the game much — the Fever won by 20 against the Sky last week, and the Lynx missed their technical free throw.

Boston is up to two techs on the season now. While it’s a new territory for her to get technical fouls, she’s still five technical calls away from a suspension with just five games left in the regular season. Boston’s rookie teammate, Caitlin Clark, needs to be more careful; she has five technicals this season so far, two away from a one-game suspension.

How many points did Caitlin Clark score?

Caitlin Clark scored 25 points on 8-of-21 shooting, adding on eight rebounds and eight assists.