It’s not every day you see Caitlin Clark grinning from the bench—especially when Indiana’s season has been a grind. But midway through the fourth quarter against the Connecticut Sun, with Marina Mabrey torching the Fever and momentum slipping fast, the sidelines told a different story. Clark, sidelined with a quad injury, stood up, laughed, and fist-pumped. After the battle Stephanie White & Co. had been at since the Liberty game, the Fever had found an uptick.

“COACH’S CHALLENGE (CALL OVERTURNED) [Fever] retain their timeout,” the scoreboard read. For a team clinging to rhythm without its rookie superstar, that one call flipped more than just possession—it brought life.

The Fever had already burned a timeout after Mabrey’s second three pushed the Sun’s lead to 68–59. But with 9:33 left in the fourth, Stephanie White stepped in with a bold challenge. The call was overturned. Indiana kept their timeout. And Clark’s unexpected joy on the sidelines caught fans’ attention: a rare visible relief in a season that hasn’t offered many easy moments.

That celebration wasn’t just about this game—it was about not letting another one slip away due to technicalities. Just a few days earlier against the Liberty, fans questioned why White didn’t challenge a late foul on Lexie Hull. But as IndyStar’s Chloe Peterson clarified on X:
“Stephanie White could not challenge that foul call on Lexie Hull (the one that led to the game-winning free throws from Sabrina Ionescu) because she didn’t have a timeout. You need a full timeout, not a reset timeout, to initiate a challenge.”

This time, White had one—and she used it. This time, things were different, and Indiana responded with a furious 19–2 run, even taking a 78–76 lead with 2:46 left. Sun responded in kind with back-to-back threes, but Lexie Hull, however, nailed a corner three to pull within one at 82–81. But the Sun, led by Marina Mabrey’s 26 points and Tina Charles’ veteran poise, held on.

Rookie Saniya Rivers split two free throws to make it 85–83. With 5.8 seconds left, Mitchell caught the inbound but couldn’t get a clean look. Game over.

It was Indiana’s second straight loss without Clark, both by razor-thin margins. While Mitchell shot 4-of-15 and 0-of-4 from three (mirroring her 4-of-16 vs. the Mystics), Aliyah Boston kept Indiana in the fight. She finished with 17 points (8-of-10 FG), 5 rebounds, 7 assists, and a steal—a near-perfect outing.

The result stung, but for one brief moment, the Fever found a spark—thanks to a timely challenge and a rare courtside smile from their franchise cornerstone.

Two Losses Without Clark, Two More Ahead—Can the Fever Hold On?

That’s two straight Ls without Clark. Both painfully close. And what stings more? This one didn’t come from a juggernaut like the Lynx or Liberty. This came from the 0–5 Sun. No Alyssa Thomas. A team relying on Mabrey, Charles, and Saniya Rivers.

Meanwhile, without Clark—who’s nursing a quad injury—the Fever are stumbling. According to Dimers.com, her absence cuts their chance of covering the spread from 55% to 44%. That’s what happens when you lose someone responsible for 42.6% of your scoring output.

Kelsey Mitchell was expected to step up. She didn’t—again. And now? Two more games loom without Clark:

• June 3 vs. Washington – a revenge match
• June 7 at Chicago – a real test of depth

To be fair, Washington’s been hooping lately. They recently beat the Fever and only fell apart against the Aces because the entire team forgot how to shoot. Sonia Citron, Kiki Iriafen, and Brittney Sykes shot a combined <30% on 12+ shots each. That kind of off-night? Rare. And Chicago? They’re quietly cooking.

Angel Reese has stopped gunning and started dishing. Kamilla Cardoso just dropped 23. Courtney Vandersloot is back running the show like it’s 2015. The Sky just hit 28 assists in a game—a season-high. Ariel Atkins is thriving. They’re not flashy. But they’re flowing.

Bottom line? Indiana needs to prove they’re more than Caitlin Clark. Because right now, they look like a team searching for oxygen—only briefly resuscitated by a single overturned call and a courtside smile.