Caitlin Clark wows with 29-point double-double in return to WNBA action

By Thomas Schlachter, CNN

(CNN) — In the build-up to the WNBA’s return after the Olympic Games, Caitlin Clark said she had been ready to get going again for a while.

In Friday’s matchup against the Phoenix Mercury, the star rookie looked like she’d never been away as the 22-year-old lit up the game with another standout performance.

Clark led the Indiana Fever to an important 98-89 win against the Mercury as the Fever began their push for a place in the playoffs.

Contributing her 10th double-double of this season, Clark scored a team-high 29 points and added 10 assists and five rebounds in an all-round performance.

“It was pretty fun. I think we came out with a lot of energy, it’s just continuing to find a way to sustain that,” Clark said to reporters postgame on returning to the court during the Fever’s hot start.

Indiana led Phoenix 33-16 after the first quarter, during which time Clark scored 13 points, and 54-37 at halftime.

While the Mercury battled back, led by Olympic gold medal winner Kahleah Copper’s game-high 32 points, the Fever did enough to secure a crucial win.

Alongside Clark, Kelsey Mitchell put up 28 points as the backcourt duo got the Fever over the line.

“We’re trying to do these last 14 (games) as just one game at a time, just take it one game at a time,” Clark told reporters postgame.

“I thought we came out in the first quarter and really set the tone but for us its just one game at a time.”

Fever head coach Christie Sides issued a similar sentiment postgame.

“I really have just been preaching (to) my staff, just find a way to only focus our energy on the next play which is the next game. We aren’t in a position yet to lookahead, we can’t look at what other people are doing. We’ve got to focus on us and our habits and us just improving every game.”

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CNN’s Jacob Lev contributed reporting.