WNBA record crowd sees Clark and Fever lose final to Mystics

WASHINGTON — Sika Kone scored a career-high 20 points as the Washington Mystics defeated Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever 92-91 on Thursday night in a record 20,711 attendance, the largest in WNBA history.

The Mystics (14-26), who entered the fourth quarter with a 16-point lead, entered the season finale with a shot at the final playoff spot, but those hopes faded when the Atlanta Dream (15-25) won in New York to secure eighth place.

Ariel Atkins and Emily Engstler each scored 17 points for Washington, while Brittney Sykes and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough each contributed 12.

Indiana (20-20) had already secured sixth place and pulled its starters midway through the second half. Clark, the record-setting rookie, had 8 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds in 20 minutes, while Kelsey Mitchell had four points and was pulled after just five minutes. It was the first time Clark had scored below double figures since June 13.

Kristy Wallace led the Fever, who will face No. 3 Connecticut in a three-game series that begins Sunday, with 17 points. NaLyssa Smith had 16 points and Aliyah Boston and Katie Lou Samuelson each had 10.

The record crowd was made possible because the game was played at Capital One Arena, which is not the Mystics’ usual home. Washington plays at the Entertainment & Sports Arena, which has a capacity of 4,200.

Washington managed just 3 of 15 shots in the fourth quarter, but Indiana, composed mostly of reserves, missed three shots in the final minute after Wallace scored, 92-91 with 1:13 to play.

Samuelson missed with 7.7 seconds left and Grace Berger grabbed the offensive rebound but missed a short jumper on the final whistle.

The Fever jumped out to a 20-2 lead to start the game, while Washington missed its first 10 shots. A three-point play by Kone at the 4:29 mark ended that run, and Indiana’s lead had shrunk to 24-22 as the quarter ended.

At halftime, the Mystics led 52-45, thanks to 60% shooting in the second quarter.

Washington started the second half with a 12-4 run and extended its lead to 82-66 after three quarters.

Mitchell played her 233rd regular-season game before appearing in a playoff game, tying Jia Perkins, who played the same season before appearing in a playoff game in 2011.