‘Undeniable’ Aliyah Boston, Fever beat Dream despite Caitlin Clark’s 7 turnovers

June 14 (UPI) — Aliyah Boston tied her career-high with 27 points to lead the Indiana Fever past the Atlanta Dream for their fourth win of the season. The Fever pulled off the victory despite Caitlin Clark’s seven turnovers.

Boston also recorded 13 rebounds in the 91-84 triumph Thursday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Kelsey Mitchell chipped in 24 points for the Fever.

“I’ve just been needing one like this,” Boston told reporters. “Where I just feel like I’m dominant and I’m getting to my spots. I’m really glad to have my teammates out there who trust in me and gave me the ball and trusted me to make the shot.”

The Fever outshot their foes 44.4% to 41.8%. They also held edges of 42-30 in points in the paint and 11-2 in fast-break points. The Dream held a 20-9 advantage in points off turnovers.

Boston scored 10 points in the fourth quarter, including a run of eight-consecutive points for the Fever.

“She was undeniable tonight,” Fever coach Christie Sides said of Boston. “I watched her warm up and her warmup was different. She was more physical. I couldn’t be more proud of her. I thought she played extremely well, really physical, didn’t back down, and finished great shots.”

Thursday’s game featured eight lead changes. The Fever led by as many as 18 points before allowing a fourth-quarter rally.

The Dream went on a 9-0 run to start the final frame, cutting into the deficit before taking the lead. Clark missed several shots and committed multiple key turnovers during that stretch.

Haley Jones gave the Dream an 82-81 lead when she made two free throws with 3:11 remaining. Clark proceeded to turn the ball over on the next possession, but the Dream couldn’t convert. Boston then snatched an offensive rebound after a Fever missed shot. She made a put-back layup as part of that sequence to put the Fever ahead for good.

Clark committed another turnover on the next possession, Mitchell answered the error by stealing the ball back from the Dream and making a layup.

The Fever ended the game by outscoring their foes 10-2 over the final 2:07.

Clark made just 3 of 11 shots, including 1 of 6 3-point attempts, for seven points. She registered six assists, in addition to her seven giveaways. She now has a league-high 77 turnovers this season, 24 more than second-place Alyssa Thomas of the Connecticut Sun.

Thomas set a WNBA record with 137 turnovers over 40 games last season. Clark is on pace to break that mark.

Katie Lou Samuelson and NaLyssa Smith scored 11 and 10 points, respectively, in Thursday’s win. Rhyne Howard scored 26 points in the loss.

The Fever (4-10) will host the Chicago Sky (4-7) at noon EDT Sunday in Indianapolis. The Dream (5-6) will host the Los Angeles Sparks (4-8) at 3 p.m. Sunday in Atlanta.