Even when she doesn’t have her best game, all Caitlin Clark does in Minnesota is win.

The Indiana Fever stepped up their game in the fourth quarter to defeat the 2024 WNBA Commissioner’s Cup champion Minnesota Lynx, 81-74, in their first meeting of the season.

It was back-and-forth from the jump until Minnesota used a 12-3 run to end the third quarter with a seven-point lead. Indiana struggled to shoot for the first three quarters, especially from 3-point land, but Fever found a rhythm in the final quarter. They outscored the Lynx 28-14 in the final frame as Clark scored most of her points in the final 10 minutes of the game. Kelsey Mitchell had a game-high 21 points, and had a key block on Alanna Smith in the final minute to preserve a win.

Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever celebrates after the game against the Minnesota Lynx at Target Center on July 14, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

As usual, there was a large crowd rooting for Clark, but it was Aliyah Boston that stole the show. She had a double-double by halftime and finished with 17 points and a career-high 16 rebounds.

“She’s just tremendous. She just dominates,” Clark said postgame of Boston on the ESPN broadcast. “She’s really good and sky’s the limit for her. I think she’s only gonna get better and better, so I’m super proud of her.”

The Fever continue their recent string of success with their eighth win in their last 12 contests, moving their record to 11-14 on the season.

Sunday’s win was also another victory for the star rookie in the land of 10,000 lakes. Clark won the 2023 and 2024 Big Ten tournament title with Iowa at Target Center, a perfect 6-0 record when playing inside the arena. Combined with the three road games against Minnesota in her college career, she went 9-0 in the state since she put on the Hawkeyes uniform. Now, she’s 10-0.

Caitlin Clark stats

Clark finished the day with 17 points, six assists, three rebounds, two steals and six turnovers. Sunday’s game ended a five-game streak during which Clark recorded at least a double-double.

The first three quarters were tough for Clark when she had just seven points on 3-for-14 shooting and only one made 3-pointer on nine attempts. In the fourth quarter, Clark had 10 points on 2-for-3 shooting and she didn’t turn over the ball.

“Even though we probably didn’t shoot the ball the greatest, we just found a way to win. We’re resilient,” Clark said.

Clark and the Fever will be back on the court Wednesday for their first matchup against the Dallas Wings for their final game before the All-Star and Olympic break.