The Indiana Fever suffered a tough loss on Sunday night. They fought hard in a road matchup against the Golden State Valkyries, but ultimately fell short, 75-63.
One of the biggest shots of the night came courtesy of Valkyries guard Kate Martin. The 25-year-old knocked down a four-point play right in front of the Fever bench that prompted a strong reaction from former Iowa teammate Caitlin Clark.
Martin found herself with some room in the wing after losing her defender with a jab step. She threw up a three-pointer that found the bottom of the net, and even got fouled on her way down. This resulted in a four-point play that increased Golden State’s lead to nine points at the 7:07 mark of the fourth quarter.
Bench reaction says it all
— WNBA (@WNBA) September 1, 2025
Kate Martin drills the triple and takes the contact for the four-point play.
IND–GSV | League Pass pic.twitter.com/vzagWDEZMG
In the video above, Clark can be seen standing in front of the Fever bench during the play, wearing a white jacket and brown pants. The reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year, who sat out her 18th straight game on Sunday due to a groin injury, threw her hands up in the air after seeing Martin’s shot go in. Clark also had to sit herself down, knowing full well how big that three was for the Valkyries.
Martin, who played alongside Clark in Iowa for four years before they both entered the WNBA in 2024, turned in a strong performance for Golden State in this one, finishing with 10 points off the bench on 3-of-3 from beyond the arc.
With the win, Golden State not only swept the season series against Indiana, but it also climbed to the No. 6 spot in the standings. The Fever, on the other hand, fell from sixth to eighth, and are now just two games ahead of the Los Angeles Sparks for the final playoff spot in the league.
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