Clark, Fever get best of Bueckers, Wings in first pro matchup of WNBA stars

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers each produced remarkably efficient stat lines in their first professional matchup Sunday.

The ultimate result wasn't nearly as close.

Clark helped Indiana dominate the second quarter, leading the Fever past the Dallas Wings 102-83. Clark had 14 points and a season-high 13 assists, needing only 25 minutes to earn the 19th double-double of her two-year career. Bueckers wound up with 21 points, four rebounds, four assists and four turnovers in 33 minutes in a head-to-head matchup that lived up to the hype of the past two No. 1 overall picks squaring off.

“It's fun to watch, not as an opponent on the other sideline. But for a lot of young players, that come into this league, there's a learning curve," Fever coach Stephanie White said.

“And how quickly they figure it out is always interesting to see. Paige, she's figured it out.”

The highly anticipated matchup between Clark and Bueckers was supposed to take place June 27 at Dallas. But Clark, last year's Rookie of the Year, missed the game with an injured left groin. Indiana still won 94-86 despite Bueckers finishing with 27 points, six assists, two steals and two blocks.

So WNBA fans waited until Sunday for their next chance.

Round 1 took place in Indianapolis, which is within driving distance of their respective hometowns in Iowa and Minnesota. They previously squared off in the 2024 Final Four when Clark helped Iowa rally past UConn 71-69 to reach the national championship game.

Yes, Clark got the upper hand again Sunday, but Bueckers also demonstrated why so many consider her this year's Rookie of the Year favorite — she's not afraid of mixing it up with anyone, including Clark, on the professional level.

“We're just trying to be aggressive, read what the defenses are doing, get out in transition and do what we've been doing,” Bueckers said after matching Clark's seven-point first quarter. “My teammates are doing a great job setting screens, getting me open.”

The Fever, who were last season's struggling young up-and-coming team, certainly made it more difficult the rest of the way for Bueckers & Co.

Bueckers went 9 of 15 from the floor and 2 of 4 from beyond the arc while Clark's shooting struggles continued.

Clark was 4 of 12 from the field and 2 of 7 on 3s but also had five steals.

The biggest difference: Clark's ability to get teammates involved.

Indiana finished with 30 assists on 40 baskets, including one midway through the second quarter that began with a block by Clark. All-Star center Aliyah Boston grabbed the ball, got it ahead to Clark who immediately whipped a perfect touchdown-like pass over the outstretched hands of one defender and into the hands of Sophie Cunningham for a layup midway through the second quarter.

The play started a 14-5 run that put Indiana in control and allowed the Fever to score a league-high 64 first-half points.

Clark did give the Fever a brief scare, though, with an awkward collision with the basketball stanchion on a missed layup. She stayed down momentarily and left the game for a few minutes before returning to help Indiana deliver the knockout punch.

“I thought my playmaking was really good, there was no reason for me to shoot that much," Clark said. “When we have five people in double figures, we're going to be pretty hard to beat. We were just kind of clicking on all cylinders, moving the ball well, getting to the next action.”

Fans won't have to wait so long for a rematch. Bueckers and Clark will be on opposite teams at Saturday's All-Star Game in Indianapolis, and they will meet twice in August, too.

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark (22) goes to the basket against Dallas Wings' JJ Quinerly (11) during the second half of a WNBA basketball game, Sunday, July 13, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Doug McSchooler)

Dallas Wings' Paige Bueckers dribbles during the first half of a WNBA basketball game against the Indiana Fever, Sunday, July 13, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Doug McSchooler)

Dallas Wings' Paige Bueckers (5) makes a pass during the first half of a WNBA basketball game against the Indiana Fever, Sunday, July 13, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Doug McSchooler)

Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark goes for a loose ball during the first half of a WNBA basketball game against the Dallas Wings, Sunday, July 13, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Doug McSchooler)

MARTIGNY, Switzerland (AP) — Switzerland will hold a memorial service Friday, part of a national day of mourning to honor the 40 people who were killed in an Alpine bar fire earlier this month during a New Year's celebration.

An additional 116 people were injured, many of them seriously, when the fire broke out less than two hours after midnight at the Le Constellation bar on Jan. 1.

Investigators have said they believe sparkling candles atop Champagne bottles ignited the fire in the resort town of Crans-Montana when they came too close to the ceiling. Authorities are looking into whether soundproofing material on the ceiling conformed with regulations and whether the candles were permitted for use in the bar. Fire safety inspections hadn’t been carried out since 2019.

The severity of burns made it difficult to identify some victims, requiring families to supply authorities with DNA samples. Police have said many of the victims were in their teens to mid-20s.

Swiss authorities have opened a criminal investigation into the bar managers. The two are suspected of involuntary homicide, involuntary bodily harm and involuntarily causing a fire, according to the Valais region’s chief prosecutor.

As part of the national day of mourning, church bells across Switzerland will ring for five minutes, beginning at 2 p.m. local time Friday, and a minute of silence will be held.

The Rome prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into the Crans-Montana fire, alleging manslaughter and arson, Italian media reported Thursday. An autopsy has been ordered for five of the six Italian victims and has been delegated to the prosecutors' offices in Milan, Bologna, and Genoa, where the bodies of the victims have been returned.

“What happened is not a disaster: It’s the result of too many people who didn’t do their job or who thought they were making easy money,” Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni said at a press conference on Friday. “Those responsible must be identified and prosecuted.”

Meloni said the State Attorney General’s Office has contacted the Swiss Attorney General to follow the investigation and confirmed that the Rome Prosecutor’s Office has started a separate probe.

“The families have my word that they will not be left alone while they seek justice,” she added.

The Paris prosecutor’s office Monday announced that it was opening a probe to assist the Swiss investigation and make it easier for families of French victims to communicate with Swiss investigators. Nine French citizens were killed, the youngest of them aged 14, and 23 others were injured.

Swiss President Guy Parmelin writes in a condolence book prior to the official commemorative ceremony for the victims of the deadly fire at the "Le Constellation" bar in Crans-Montana at the CERM in Martigny, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (Michael Buholzer/Keystone/Pool via AP)

A victim with burned hands and relatives attend the official commemorative ceremony for the victims of the deadly fire at the "Le Constellation" bar in Crans-Montana, in Martigny, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (Laurent Gillieron/Keystone/Pool via AP)

The owners of the "Le Constellation" bar in Crans-Montana, where the deadly fire happened on New Year's Day, Jacques und Jessica Moretti from France, center, arrive with their lawyers Patrick Michod, Yael Hayat and Nicola Meier, to be auditioned by the Valais public prosecutor's office in Sion, Switzerland, Friday, January 9, 2026. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP)

Plaques bearing flags representing Switzerland, Romania, Italy, Portugal, Belgium, France, and Turkey are placed along with flowers and candles to honor the victims of the fire at the "Le Constellation" bar and lounge, in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (Cyril Zingaro/Keystone via AP)

Mourners gather around flowers and candles to commemorate the victims of the "Le Constellation" bar and lounge's fire, in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP)

FILE - A child watches as an adult places a candle outside the sealed off Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner, File)