Head coach Stephanie White and her Indiana Fever got off to a rough start in the 2026 WNBA season, losing to the Dallas Wings 107-104 in their opening game on Saturday.
Kelsey Mitchell dropped 30 points on 11-of-22 shooting in the loss, while Caitlin Clark tallied 20 points, five rebounds and seven assists. Aliyah Boston added 23 points and four rebounds.
However, with Arike Ogunbowale, Paige Bueckers and Odyssey Sims all scoring at least 20 points and combining for 62 points, the game was decided on efficiency.
Dallas made 59.1% of their shots, including 12-of-23 from deep. Meanwhile, Indiana shot 51.9% but went 7-of-24 from beyond the arc.
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After the game, however, White acknowledged that she and the coaching staff might have made a mistake when it comes to managing the minutes of Mitchell and Clark in the contest, which affected them toward the end of the game.
The two played over 30 minutes each, with most of their playing time coming in the second half. Mitchell played nearly 19 minutes during the span, while Clark played 16.
According to White, they might have played Clark and Mitchell a little bit too long before giving them a break.
“I feel like maybe we played Kelsey and Caitlin, especially, a little bit too long in the second half before getting them a blow as we were working back,” White said, according to Chloe Peterson of Indianapolis Star. “But we still got some really good looks.”
Clark played seven straight minutes in the third quarter before being subbed out, while Mitchell played nearly nine minutes in the third quarter and the full 10 minutes in the fourth.
As White stated, they can definitely improve managing the minutes of their superstar guards to ensure that they have enough strength to better close out games in clutch situations.
Related: Caitlin Clark Ranked Ahead of Angel Reese, Paige Bueckers on Top 25 List