The former Hawkeye stars played each other for the third time in their WNBA careers on Friday evening. Here's what happened.
The 2026 WNBA season is only a week old, but that hasn't stopped it from producing compelling matchups each night.
Friday featured another compelling battle - a least for fans in the state of Iowa.
Former Iowa women's basketball stars Caitlin Clark and Lucy Olsen played each other for the third time in their respective WNBA careers with the Indiana Fever and Washington Mystics, respectively.
Clark recovered from a slow first half to record 32 points, eight assists, and four rebounds on 10-of-28 shooting, including a trademark step-back three to send the game to overtime, but Washington rallied to secure a 104-102 victory.
Olsen didn't see any game action.
What Happened?
After losing its home opener to Dallas last weekend, Indiana came out flying out of the gates in front of another packed house at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Fever knocked down 3 of their first 4 attempts from downtown and rode the offensive surge to a an early 18-13 lead at the first media timeout.
Though most of her teammates were getting involved, Clark didn't record her first basket at the 4:55 mark - a triple off an offensive rebound. Seeing the ball fall through the bucket was a welcome sight for Clark and Indiana fans, as she came into this contest making only 3 of her first 17 shots from distance.
The Fever led 28-20 after the first quarter, but Olsen was nowhere in sight. She entered the matchup playing just 7.5 minutes per game, so her not seeing minutes early in the game wasn't a surprise.
Clark and Indiana appeared to be in full control by this point, but Washington stormed back with a 12-0 run in the second to steal momentum. These are normally good spots for Clark to get going, but she spent the majority of the quarter on the bench. She finished with six points on 2-of-10 shooting in the first half, and the Fever trailed 41-37.
The Mystics continued their strong second into the early third, and Indiana was forced to call timeout after the lead had blossomed to 10. Clark couldn't get into a rhythm at all and remained stuck on six points for what seemed like forever.
Washington held a 67-58 lead after three, but Clark and Co. still had an entire quarter to respond. Clark finally got back on the board by nailing consecutive triples to bring the crowd to its feet, and suddenly it was a four-point game.
The Mystics recovered to take a late lead, but staunch Indiana defense forced enough turnovers to give itself a chance to tie the game.
And like she did so much during her time in Iowa City, Clark nailed a clutch triple to send the game to overtime, but Washington came back with an impressive overtime performance to get out of Circle City with a win.
Looking for a FREE Hawkeyes community?
Don't miss out on our Roundtable community and the latest news! It's completely FREE to join.
Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members. Download the FREE Roundtable APP and stay even more connected!
First Summer Giveaway is OPEN!
Looking for some cool Hawkeye swag to wear during the summer months? Look no further! HawkeyeRoundtable.com will be giving away prizes to lucky members throughout the summer and all you have to enter is follow these very easy and quick (under a minute) instructions to join.
Click here to join the contest!
HawkeyeRoundtable publisher Brad Schultz has covered the Iowa Hawkeyes since 2023. To send him story ideas, scoops, or criticize his writing, reach him at bradschultz@roundtable.io