Less than a week after Kelly Krauskopf stepped down as president and general manager Amber Cox was let go, Pacers Sports & Entertainment CEO Mel Raines has taken the next step in reshaping the Indiana Fever front office.

“The organization will conduct a national search for the team’s next general manager,” the Fever announced in a statement on Friday.

PS&E has since hired Excel Search & Advisory to assist with the search, a league source confirmed to Fieldhouse Files. Search firms like Excel help organizations identify potential candidates, evaluate their qualifications and conduct background research. Excel Search & Advisory is led by president Chad Biagini.

It’s the same firm hired by the WNBA to conduct its search for the next commissioner.

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The 3x3 league announced Wednesday that Boston will miss the 2027 season as she continues to recover from surgery she underwent two weeks ago to repair the lateral meniscus in her right knee.

Recovery from a meniscus repair, which preserves the tissue and is generally better for long-term knee health, is measured in months rather than weeks.

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Boston originally suffered the injury while playing in Unrivaled in late February. It caused her to miss the league’s championship game and the FIBA Women’s World Cup qualifying tournament in March.

She opted to not have surgery so she could play in the WNBA season and represent Team USA at the World Cup in Berlin, where the Americans won gold.

“I definitely started the year with a lot of uncertainty,” Boston said during a three-minute exit interview. “I think there were definitely some games where I was hindered a little bit, and then obviously, we know I missed some games.

“So it definitely was a change for me, because I’m somebody that just loves to compete and love to play, and I never like to sit out. So it definitely had its impact, but we made it through a full season, so I’m always grateful.”

In her fourth WNBA season, she averaged a career-high 16.1 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game.

Boston signed a multi-year deal in August to return to Unrivaled, months after becoming the first player in WNBA history to sign a maximum contract extension via the EPIC provision.

Lexie Hull and Monique Billings, both of whom are under contract with the Fever for next season, are signed to play in Unrivaled in 2027.

Unrivaled also announced that they reached a mutual contract termination agreement with Kate Martin, Caitlin Clark’s close friend and former Iowa teammate.

“I’m incredibly grateful to Unrivaled for the opportunity to be part of its first two seasons,” said Martin. “It’s been special to help launch a league that continues to elevate women’s basketball. While I’m excited about what’s on the horizon for me, I’m so thankful for the people, the competition, and the memories I’ve made in Unrivaled.”

The Miami-based league plans to unveil rosters on Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. ET. The season begins on Jan. 8 at TD Garden in Boston.

It had mostly been quiet on the Indiana Fever front less than a month after their season ended with a first-round exit. But behind the scenes, things have been stewing.

There were exit interviews, follow-up conversations and many discussions after the team fell short again. They won 28 games and reached the postseason, but, as Caitlin Clark previously stated, it’s not to be celebrated; it’s an expectation.

It’s the standard.

The goal from before training camp was to win a WNBA Championship and they fell short.

The Fever announced in a 10 a.m. press release on Friday that Kelly Krauskopf, the original architect of the franchise, was stepping down from her post after being with Pacers Sports & Entertainment for 27 years — dating back to 1999, a year before the Fever's inaugural season.

“I am deeply grateful for the opportunities, relationships, and shared accomplishments that have shaped my time with this organization,” Krauskopf said in a statement.

“The Fever is poised for an exciting future, and I am proud to have helped lay the foundation for its continued growth and success. I will always cherish my time with Pacers Sports and Entertainment and the people who made it so meaningful.”

Then, more than eight hours later, the organization confirmed what many, including Fieldhouse Files, were reporting: Amber Cox, general manager and chief operating officer, was fired after two seasons.

“The organization will conduct a national search for the team’s next general manager,” the organization said.

The timing on all of this was not ideal. It was a classic Friday news dump, done when you hope the news gets lost in the weekend.

This day was supposed to belong to the Pacers, as All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton was excited to play in the home opener. It was a ‘gold out’ at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Excitement was building and a sellout crowd showed up to welcome back Haliburton.

It was also owner Herb Simon’s birthday.

The longest-tenured NBA owner turned 92 years old. But between this Fever front-office shakeup and the Pacers playing poorly Friday night, in a home loss to the Dallas Mavericks, it was not a good day.

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Two of the most popular women in the world were together on Sunday.

Indiana Fever All-Star Caitlin Clark joined global music superstar Taylor Swift in her suite at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City as the Chiefs handled the Los Angeles Chargers 22-6.

The Chiefs (5-0) are one of just three remaining undefeated NFL teams, along with the 49ers (6-0) and Vikings (5-0) — who host the Colts this upcoming Sunday.

There’s not many who can relate to Clark’s worldwide appeal and the demands that come with being superstar. LeBron James is one, and Swift is certainly another.

This wasn’t Clark’s first visit to the suite, which is located near midfield, just below the television booth (as seen in the photo at the top). Clark, a West Des Moines native who grew up a Chiefs fan, has attended games there in previous seasons.

Also in the suite were Boom assistant coach Connor McCaffery, who is dating Clark, and Tommy Alter of “The Old Man and The Three” podcast.

Clark has appeared on Travis and Jason Kelce’s “New Heights” podcast. He also sent the brothers pairs of her Nike Caitlin 1 shoes ahead of the launch of her first signature shoe, along with a pair for Chiefs head coach Andy Reid.

Click here to watch highlights of the Chiefs’ win.

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Aliyah Boston underwent surgery on Wednesday to repair the lateral meniscus in her right knee, the Indiana Fever announced on Thursday. The surgery was performed by Dr. Corey Kendall at OrthoIndy.

“Boston will begin the rehabilitation process with the Fever’s medical and performance team, and further updates will be provided as they become available,” the team said.

She sustained the injury in late February while playing at Unrivaled — and it was something she knew she’d have to deal with until a break in her schedule.

Boston had five points and five rebounds in just over 12 minutes on Feb. 27, her final game of her second season at Unrivaled, the Miami-based 3x3 league. Her team, Phantom, beat Lexie Hull’s team, Rose, 72-68.

She did not play the following week in the semifinals against Vinyl or the championship game against Mist due to what the league described as a “right lower extremity” injury.

And just imagine how much a player must be hurting to sit out of a championship game.

Boston did, though, and Phantom lost to Mist 80-76. Mist outrebounded Phantom and shot 56% from the field. Boston’s interior presence was certainly missed.

Boston stayed with her team through the finals, then returned to Indianapolis for a full evaluation. Throughout the WNBA season, the Fever officially described it as a “right lower leg” injury.

But as I reported on here, more than seven months ago, the injury was specifically to her right knee. “The injury is to the meniscus in her right knee and treatment is underway. For now, surgery is not required.”

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The knee injury caused her to withdraw from playing with USA Basketball in the FIBA Women's World Cup qualifying tournament in March. And it caused her to miss four of 44 regular-season games this past WNBA season.

After the season, Boston opened up about the challenges of playing through the injury.

“I definitely started the year with a lot of uncertainty,” Boston said during a three-minute exit interview. “I think there were definitely some games where I was hindered a little bit, and then obviously, we know I missed some games.

“So it definitely was a change for me, because I’m somebody that just loves to compete and love to play, and I never like to sit out. So it definitely had its impact, but we made it through a full season, so I’m always grateful.”

Exit interviews include meeting with the training staff for a full evaluation. A procedure was expected.

“We’ll be talking and seeing what we want to do from there,” Boston said, “but nothing’s decided yet.”

The decision ultimately led to surgery on Wednesday, Oct. 14.

An important distinction: The procedure was a meniscus repair, not a removal.

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One week after the Indiana Fever’s season came to an end in Las Vegas, losing the best-of-three series 2-1, Caitlin Clark answered questions for 21 minutes on Thursday from a select group of invited media members.

Her exit interview had been pushed back from Saturday because of a unique opportunity: serving as the guest picker on ESPN’s “College GameDay” at the University of Iowa.

Not surprisingly, it became the most-watched episode of the season and the third most-watched regular-season episode ever. The final hour, featuring Clark and her picks, averaged 3.7 million viewers.

Just the latest example of Clark being The Needle.

Clark said she’s been playing 18 holes of golf every day after staying away from the course during the season due to her schedule and back concerns.

So before heading out to play Thursday, she arrived in the Bob Collins-Wayne Fusion Media Interview Room at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in a gray Nike Fever hoodie, ready to answer questions from media — and by extension, you fans.

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Two of the biggest brands in sports are collaborating Saturday morning.

Indiana Fever All-Star guard Caitlin Clark will be the guest picker on ESPN’s “College GameDay,” the network confirmed Friday night.

ESPN’s three-hour Saturday morning college football pregame show (9 a.m. to noon ET) is in Iowa City for the first time since 2006 as No. 14 Iowa (4-0), coming off a 20-19 win at Michigan, hosts No. 5 Ohio State (3-1).

That game will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS.

Before then, the iconic sports studio show will broadcast from Pentacrest Lawn in front of the Old Capitol Building. The show features host Rece Davis, along with analysts Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee, coach Nick Saban, and Kirk Herbstreit.

It will air live on ESPN, ESPNU, Disney+ and the ESPN app.

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McAfee, whose national sports show normally originates from Lawrence, Indiana, took his show on the road Friday. The boys hosted the two-hour progrum from the set on Pentacrest Lawn.

McAfee typically announces the weekly guest picker — but no announcement had been made.

For Clark, it will be another return to Iowa City, where she became the biggest star in college basketball during her four seasons (2020-24) with the Hawkeyes before the Fever selected her No. 1 overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft.

Her third WNBA season ended Thursday when the Fever lost to the Las Vegas Aces in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series. That same day — Oct. 1 — Clark’s first Nike signature shoe, the Caitlin 1, went on sale globally.

Meanwhile, the Fever are scheduled to hold their season-ending exit interviews with invited local reporters on Saturday.

It was all tied at 31 after 1, but the Fever were outscored by six points in both the second and fourth quarters — as well as by 14 points from the free-throw line.

It was their final game of the season.

Their season is over after losing the best-of-three first-round series 2-1.

Kelsey Mitchell scored 23 points, Aliyah Boston had 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Caitlin Clark added 18 points. But the Fever shot 38.5% from the field and were just 9 of 32 from 3-point range. A’ja Wilson scored a game-high 36 points.

Next up, the Aces face the winner of Golden State and Dallas series.

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Postgame Recap

LAS VEGAS — Good evening. (Or good morning to most of you.)

I’ll have a lot more from Las Vegas and on the Fever’s 2026 season soon.

But before I leave the arena and pack for my early flight home, here’s a brief dispatch from Michelob Ultra Arena.

It includes my usual postgame video recap, as well as the full press conferences after the Fever’s season-ending 94-83 loss to the Aces in Game 3.

The Fever stayed within striking distance for much of Thursday night, but the Aces created separation in the second and fourth quarters — and finished with a 14-point advantage at the free-throw line.

Within two, 82-80 with 3:00 to play, the Fever were outscored 12-3 the rest of the way.

Indiana was held to 38.5% shooting, though its Big Three still accounted for 60 of the team’s 83 points. Kelsey Mitchell scored 23, Aliyah Boston added 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Caitlin Clark finished with 18.

A’ja Wilson had her way and was the difference-maker. She led all scorers with 36 points, including 12 of 15 at the line. Chelsea Gray added 23, while Jackie Young finished with 18 as both Aces guards played all 40 minutes.

The Fever now return home with their season over. The Aces advance to Round 2, with either Golden State or Dallas up next.

Much more to come from me on the season, what went wrong in Game 3, and where the Fever go from here so make sure you are subscribed to get all of my content delivered right to your inbox.

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LAS VEGAS — It’s been more than 24 hours since the Indiana Fever responded from their “soft” performance on Sunday with a 99-89 Game 2 win, extending the first-round series.

And in that time, we still have not heard from the WNBA regarding A’ja Wilson and some of her Las Vegas Aces teammates.

Wilson received a technical foul with 4:10 left in Tuesday’s game for “unsportsmanlike conduct,” according to the postgame pool report. The tech was issued by the crew chief, Randy Richardson.

Kelsey Mitchell missed the technical free throw with the Fever leading 90-79.

Based on the video from the game broadcast, a fan in the second row along the baseline stood up, pointed at Wilson and said “It (the foul) is on you!”

Wilson, standing in the middle of the lane, saw him and then walked toward him. She took out her mouthguard, pointed back, and shared what was on her mind.

Teammates from the court and bench then hustled over to support Wilson. Coaches did, too.

Wilson was fired up and, more than anything, likely frustrated. The Aces were down by double digits, it had been an average night by her standards, and she had just been fouled on the play.

The Fever said the fan did not violate the Fan Code of Conduct and was allowed to return to his seat for the remainder of the game.

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It was on April 15, 2024 when the Indiana Fever made it official, selecting Caitlin Clark No. 1 overall. It was an easy decision by the franchise, but one it had to wait several months to finally make at the 2024 WNBA Draft.

Since that night, when more than 6,000 fans showed up to Gainbridge Fieldhouse to see what we already knew was going to happen, Clark had to wait a long time to have a playoff moment of her own in that building.

Now 897 days since Clark became a member of the Fever, a transaction that significantly changed the landscape of the franchise and WNBA, Clark finally got a home playoff game.

She delivered a brilliant performance at the right time.

First for those in the locker room, then for everyone else.

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The Fever won the tip in Game 2 of their first-round series against the Las Vegas Aces and Aliyah Boston found Clark for her first of five 3-pointers.

“Steph (White) told everybody I was gonna make it so I was just trying not to let everybody down because we were all visualizing that I was gonna make it,” Clark told reporters postgame. “So I needed to get the night started off right.”

Less than 48 hours after nothing went right for the team in Game 1, Clark set the tone for the night. Not just with that triple to get things going, but with the right disposition.

She’s the most competitive player I’ve ever covered. She always wants to win.

So Game 1 did not sit right with her — or anyone.

Clark leaned into the fiery passion we’ve seen for years, igniting her teammates and the more than 16,000 fans in red Fever t-shirts. On this night, she was all about basketball. And all about decisions that would put them in a position to win.

So the Fever switched from red to navy uniforms. Clark did not do her usual pregame press conference with reporters 90 minutes before tip. She broke out a purple pair of her Caitlin 1s rather than debuting a new pair, like she did on Tuesday.

Then, she played so hard that she threw up at halftime after setting another WNBA record, becoming the first player with a points/assists double-double after 20 minutes with 14 points and 11 assists.

“I was just really tired and then sometimes I drink too much water,” she explained.

After another back-and-forth first quarter, the Aces pulled ahead by 11 on a 3-pointer from Chelsea Gray. And 63 seconds later, after Clark was whistled for an offensive foul, she earned a technical foul.

As Frank Vogel taught me more than a decade ago, sometimes you have to change the game. That’s precisely what Clark, who is only 24 years old, did.

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LAS VEGAS — This was supposed to be Caitlin Clark’s spectacular return to the grandest stage, the playoffs.

This was supposed to be proof that their final week of the regular season was an anomaly and they could turn the page when it matters most.

This was supposed to be a continuation of what we saw during the regular season, when the Fever owned the first two matchups and would’ve swept the season series if not for several self-inflicted wounds.

But on this Sunday afternoon, it was just another reminder that too often, the house wins in Las Vegas. And in this case, they were in the Aces’ house.

Nothing went right for the Fever in this Game 1 loss, 102-85.

It started minutes before tip-off, as the Fever starters were introduced, and nobody could hear it. These were the quietest intros I’ve ever heard and this was before a playoff game!

So all five Fever players just came out at once.

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The Aces then opened the game with a block from four-time MVP A’ja Wilson, found a rhythm on offense — getting whatever they wanted — and that carried into a strong defensive game.

They shot 59%, scored 28 points off Indiana turnovers, and got a dominant performance from Wilson (38 points, 16 rebounds) as the Aces took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series.

That’s right, just best-of-three.

That made Game 1 especially important for the Aces. A loss would have sent them to Indianapolis, where the Fever would have had the chance to close out the series on their home floor.

“It was huge for us,” Wilson said postgame. “This is probably the most important time where you need to throw the first punch on the defensive end.”

The Aces wore their experience well, no moment too big and they knew exactly what to expect. They matched the stage with their intensity, played with an edge and pushed the limits of physicality. The Fever never matched them.

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LAS VEGAS — To begin the 2026 playoffs, the Indiana Fever will be returning to the site where their 2025 postseason run came to an end, in overtime.

Back at Michelob Ultra Arena on Sunday afternoon, the Fever face the Las Vegas Aces in a best-of-three series. The Aces are the No. 3 seed behind Minnesota and Golden State, while the Fever dropped several spots over the final week and enter as the No. 6 seed.

You may think the Fever are thinking about unfinished business. That they’re thinking about a handful of players missing last postseason with injuries, or Aliyah Boston fouling out before overtime in Game 5, or Kelsey Mitchell missing overtime because her body literally gave out on her.

But no, that doesn’t seem to be the case.

It’s a new season.

It’s different teams.

And these are entirely different circumstances.

“That series means nothing,” coach Stephanie White told reporters on Saturday.

“Pretty useless,” added Boston.

After limping into the playoffs, losing two of their final three regular-season games, the Fever flew straight from Minneapolis to Las Vegas on Friday.

That gave them additional time to adapt to the time change and get hydrated. Mitchell has learned from the past and said she always gets IVs when playing there, where it’s easy to become dehydrated.

All four WNBA first-round playoff series tip off on Sunday, with Fever-Aces set for 4 p.m. ET on ABC. It’s unfortunate scheduling for such a compelling matchup to go head-to-head with what is routinely a dominant NFL Sunday audience.

Despite their showings out of the World Cup break, when the entire league jammed four games into seven days, there is reason for optimism for the Fever.

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The Indiana Fever could not have drawn up a much worse way to end the regular season.

Nothing went right Thursday night in Minneapolis.

The Fever fell behind 25-4, trailed by as many as 36 points and closed the 44-game regular season with an 86-66 loss to the Lynx — their largest defeat of the year and easily their worst performance.

“They came out aggressive,” Fever coach Stephanie White said postgame. “They punched us in the mouth. They’re the No. 1 seed for a reason, and they showed it tonight. They dictated on both ends of the floor and we didn’t really respond.”

But the final score wasn’t even the most concerning part.

Aliyah Boston was subbed out with 2:44 to play in the second quarter and did not return after what White described as the same right leg flaring up again. It’s an injury that goes back to the final week of the Unrivaled season.

Monique Billings replaced Boston in the lineup to begin the second half, with Boston held out as a precaution.

That’s not all.

Veteran guard Ty Harris later left with a left ankle injury, giving the Fever two health concerns less than 72 hours before the start of the WNBA playoffs.

Harris was fouled on a drive to the rim with 3:28 left in the third quarter. On the fall, her left leg got caught underneath her and she landed awkwardly on the ankle. The entire team surrounded her, with some teammates holding up towels to shield her from view.

Harris was not seen putting any weight on the leg and carried off the court by several staff members.

“No update on Ty yet,” White said postgame. “She’s still being evaluated.”

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The Fever already knew this was going to be a challenging close to the regular season, playing four games in seven days coming out of the World Cup break. That included the final two games against the Lynx, who already clinched the No. 1 seed.

After a strong return in Toronto and a bounce-back win over Minnesota at home on Tuesday, Thursday’s rematch went in the complete opposite direction.

The Fever never led.

They didn’t look sharp. They lacked urgency. And as Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings mentioned on the USA Sports broadcast, it was like this group was too happy and satisfied with the way they had turned things around just two nights earlier.

The Lynx (33-11) capped their league-leading season with a home win and a bounce-back performance of their own. Head coach Cheryl Reeve pulled the starters just a quarter and a half into Tuesday’s game.

White did the same with 5:40 left in the third quarter and the Fever trailing 71-36.

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The FIBA Women’s World Cup provided a memorable two weeks in Berlin, culminating with Team USA overcoming France to win gold for the fifth consecutive tournament.

On the latest episode of the Fever Files podcast, I was joined by French journalist Eliott Caillot of Taille 6, who covered the World Cup from Berlin and offered his perspective on the tournament, France’s run to the championship game and another gold medal for the United States.

We discussed what the atmosphere was like throughout the event, France’s play, and what stood out from Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston during their first World Cup with the senior national team.

Caillot also has a unique connection to Indianapolis.

He spent more than a year in Indy while attending Butler University, covering both the Fever and Pacers during his time here. So we also looked back on his experience covering basketball in Indianapolis, his time at Butler and what he took away from living in the city.

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Watch our full conversation below.

Follow Eliott on Twitter and Taille 6 on YouTube.

🎙 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.

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Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston and the U.S. women’s national team are one win away from a World Cup title.

Team USA advanced to the championship game with a 76-66 semifinal win over Spain on Saturday afternoon, surviving another uneven offensive performance and leaning on defense and free-throw shooting to get through.

Now, France is all that stands between Team USA and a fifth straight World Cup gold medal.

The championship game tips off Sunday at 2 p.m. ET (on TNT/TruTv/HBOMax) — I know, not ideal scheduling it on the first NFL Sunday of the season — after France handled Germany 86-64 in the other semifinal.

This win for Team USA wasn’t particularly pretty.

Both teams were held below 40% shooting and Team USA was just 3 for 18 (16.7%) from range despite being a collection of 12 of the best women’s players in the world. They simply haven’t shot it well from deep in this tournament.

They also recorded more turnovers (15) than assists (13), another sign of how disconnected the offense looked for long stretches. And they needed a jumpstart in both halves to get rolling.

That’s where the second unit has come in.

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One hour after Team USA’s World Cup victory over China Friday morning, the WNBA announced that commissioner Cathy Engelbert is choosing to retire at the end of the year.

Talk about a Friday news dump. And not just any Friday — the one heading into Labor Day weekend.

Engelbert became the league’s first commissioner in 2019 and will leave her post after assisting with the transition to her successor.

“After more than seven years at the WNBA and more than 40 total years in business, I have made the decision to retire as WNBA Commissioner,” she said in a statement.

“I retire knowing we have built something bigger, stronger and more enduring than we could have imagined. I am grateful to the WNBA and NBA team owners and staff, players, investors, fans and the powerhouse league office staff, who believed in what this league could become. I retire with immense gratitude and tremendous optimism for the future of the WNBA, with the best yet to come.”

The league has experienced significant growth during her time leading the league, supercharged by the arrival of Clark in 2024. Since then, it has taken off.

The WNBA expanded from 12 to 15 teams and has plans to add three more by 2030: Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia

“Cathy has presided over the WNBA through the most significant period of growth in the league’s 30-year history,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. “We are grateful for Cathy’s leadership and unwavering commitment to the advancement of women’s basketball.”

The next commissioner first needs to be able to connect with stakeholders, especially the players. There needs to be a relationship, open dialogue and a mutual respect.

From there, the league needs someone who can lead, has a vision and takes action. The moment is now for the WNBA, and it needs someone with a passion for the game — someone who commands a room and leads with authority.

It’s not an easy job, but the possibilities are intriguing.

Well before Labor Day Weekend officially gets underway, basketball fans were treated to competitive basketball with their morning coffee.

Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston and the other 10 members of the U.S. Women’s Senior National Team opened up FIBA World Cup play exactly how you would expect: with depth, balance, and a large margin of victory.

Team USA jumped ahead by 13 points after one and grew its lead to 20 by halftime en route to a comfortable 94-61 victory over China Friday, taking control early and steadily pulling away.

With the tournament being played in Berlin, the game tipped off shortly after 8 a.m. ET so it’s understandable if you were unable to watch. But given Clark’s participation and the interest in the most dominant team in women’s basketball history, all of its games air live on TNT and are being streamed outside a paywall.

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As the Indiana Fever made a push to the FIBA World Cup break, head coach Stephanie White reminded her team to be where your feet are.

Last Friday, the Fever recorded back-to-back wins of at least 20 points by handling the Connecticut Sun by 20 points. They’re 26-14, the most wins in franchise history, and they went into the break on a high note.

Now, as the WNBA hit pause on the season with four games to go, most of the team could finally relax knowing a week of vacation was coming.

White, however, quickly turned the page to her next role — one of three assistant coaches under Kara Lawson for the World Cup in Berlin, along with Natalie Nakase (Golden State Valkyries) and Nate Tibbetts (Phoenix Mercury).

Games get underway on Friday — Team USA face China at 8:15 a.m. ET — and White has the first opponent scout.

She had done some prep work, but once her feet were on the plane heading across the Atlantic Ocean, she opened her computer and shifted her attention to Team USA.

Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston headed out the next day, as both players were named to the 12-player roster. They’ve both participated in several USA Basketball camps, but this will be their first time playing in the World Cup.

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The Indiana Fever completed a grueling stretch of five games in eight days over the weekend. And following a 113-90 win in Chicago, they enjoyed four days between games leading up to one last matchup before a three-week break for World Cup play.

The Fever head into the World Cup break on a high note after a 111-91 win over the Connecticut Sun (10-29) on Friday night in front of a sellout crowd of 17,274 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

It was Connecticut’s final visit to Indianapolis in franchise history before the organization relocates to Houston next season, and the Fever eventually turned the night into a rout.

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The Fever started slowly, getting outscored 28-19 in the first quarter to fall behind by nine. And Caitlin Clark took it personally.

You could see it in her eyes — she’d had enough.

Clark made the first bucket in each of the four quarters and had 12 points and five assists in the second period alone. For most players, that would constitute a great game.

But Clark was just getting started.

So was All-Star guard Kelsey Mitchell, who scored 15 of her 17 first-half points in the second frame. After having seven turnovers to four made field goals in the opening 10 minutes, the Fever outscored the Sun 39-15 in the quarter to go from down nine after one to up by 15 at the break.

That’s where they seized control of the game and never looked back.

Clark and Mitchell led the way with 34 points apiece, continuing what has become a historic stretch for Indiana’s backcourt. It’s the fourth time they have both scored 30 points or more in the same game, and the second game in a row.

They are the best backcourt duo in league history.

Mitchell also extended her remarkable WNBA-record streak of 24 straight games with at least 20 points. You have to go back more than two months for the last time she did NOT pile up at least 20 in a game.

Mitchell and Clark enter the break ranked second and third, respectively, in scoring among WNBA players.

Clark (34 & 12), meanwhile, posted her fifth game this season with at least 30 points and 10 assists. She’s playing the best basketball of her career — showing great poise, competitive fire, and new moves.

And Makayla Timpson, making her 10th consecutive start, continues to show why the coaching staff made that move. She’s constantly active, getting her arms on the ball, and attacking the basket. Timpson finished with 10 points and eight rebounds.

The Fever have set another single-season record for wins with 26. That’s two more than last season — and there’s still four regular-season games left.

They’re 26-14 and sit fourth in the WNBA standings as the league pauses for the FIBA Women’s World Cup. The 12-player roster includes Clark and Aliyah Boston, and Stephanie White is on the coaching staff.

In my postgame show, I break down the Fever’s explosive second quarter, another huge night from Clark and Mitchell, big contributions from the starters, considerations for the offseason, and where things stand heading into the break.

Those participating in the World Cup head out on Sunday. Everyone else will enjoy some time off before returning to Indy for a few weeks of practice leading into the home stretch.

The Fever resume game action Sept. 18 across the border in Toronto.

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