The Indiana Fever overcame the absence of injured star guard Caitlin Clark to defeat the Dallas Wings 94-86 on Friday night at Dallas’ American Airlines Center. Guard Kelsey Mitchell paced the Fever with 32 points, helping the visitors build a 22-point first-quarter cushion that proved just enough to withstand a late Wings rally. Rookie guard Paige Bueckers, the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s WNBA draft, led Dallas with 27 points and beat the first-half buzzer with a long three-pointer that ignited the comeback. The Wings briefly moved in front 80-79 midway through the fourth quarter before the Fever answered with a 9-0 run sparked by Aari McDonald. Aliyah Boston added 21 points, while Natasha Howard contributed 15 points, 13 rebounds and three steals as Indiana shot 59 % from the field. The game drew a sell-out crowd of almost 20,000—Dallas’ first WNBA contest inside the NBA Mavericks’ arena—and attracted sports luminaries including Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving, Cowboys pass-rusher Micah Parsons and newly drafted Mavericks top pick Cooper Flagg. Despite Clark’s left groin injury, the strong turnout underscored surging interest in women’s basketball and capped a high-profile evening for the league.