Packed houses and superstars have made this a WNBA season unlike any other

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, alongside established stars, have helped the league reach a new level of popularity as the playoffs approach

As the NFL's Colts clashed with the Packers in Wisconsin last Sunday, downtown Indianapolis was alive - but not because of football. Half a mile up the road from the Colts' empty stadium, Gainbridge Fieldhouse was filled to near capacity for the WNBA matinee between the Dallas Wings and Caitlin Clark's Indiana Fever. The game did not disappoint.

Clark, this year's No 1 draft pick, scored a career-high 35 points to set the single-season rookie scoring record, and her free throws down the stretch helped preserve a 110-109 victory that locked Indiana into the playoff's sixth seed. The prospect of basketball turning out the masses on a football Sunday isn't a new concept in the Hoosier state, where the local NBA and men's college programs reigned before the Colts rocked up from Baltimore under cover of darkness. But the WNBA's hold on this crowd is new, and a testament to what has been a regular season unlike any other - with new faces and dominant figures pushing the league to new heights.