INDIANAPOLIS – For the first time since the 2021 regular season, the Indiana Fever (15-16) beat the Connecticut Sun on Wednesday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, 84-80. Indiana has now won six of its last eight games entering Friday at Chicago. The Fever won in front of another sold-out crowd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, bringing the total season attendance to a WNBA record 503,921 fans in 31 games played so far this season.
Five Fever players scored in double figures Wednesday night, led again by guard Kelsey Mitchell’s game-high 23 points. Mitchell shot 8-of-14 from the floor and 4-of-7 from 3-point range for her fifth-consecutive game scoring at least 20 points to set a franchise record for the most consecutive 20-point games.
Rookie guard Caitlin Clark finished with 19 points, five rebounds, five assists, one block and one steal. Three minutes into the first quarter, Clark passed Atlanta Dream guard Rhyne Howard to break the WNBA rookie record for the most made 3-point field goals with 88. Clark also passed Howard again for 12th place on the all-time rookie points list with 558 points heading into Friday’s game at Chicago. Fever guard Lexie Hull, who earned her second start of the season Wednesday night, added 17 points on 4-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc, pulled down a career-high eight rebounds, dished out three assists and recorded one block to help Indiana secure the win.
Fever center Aliyah Boston and forward NaLyssa Smith both recorded 10 points and six rebounds in the win. In the second quarter, Boston recorded her 1,000th career-point, which made her the fourth fastest player in franchise history to record 1,000 points in 71 games played. Boston also tied two career-highs in the win with eight assists and four steals.
Indiana started off the game with a 10-0 run early in the first quarter as Mitchell scored 11 of her 23 points in the first frame. Boston dished out five of her eight assists and the Fever as a team totaled six 3-point field goals as Indiana ultimately ended the quarter on a 22-9 run. It was the most points allowed by a Connecticut Sun opponent as Indiana led 33-26 after the first quarter. The Sun responded with a 13-5 run in the second quarter, but Indiana pushed back with a 14-5 run of its own. The Fever led, 51-42, at halftime, which marked the Sun’s second largest halftime deficit of the season. In the final quarter, Indiana made five defensive stops to end the game, and the Sun were held scoreless for the final 2:50 of the game.
Indiana handed Connecticut (22-8) just its second loss following the Olympic break and broke its three-game winning streak on Wednesday night. Four Sun players scored in double figures led by DiJonai Carrington’s 19 points on 7-of-13 field-goal shooting. Carrington also tallied a career-high six steals, four rebounds and two assists. Sun forward Alyssa Thomas followed with 17 points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals while Sun guard Marina Mabrey added 16 points, four assists, two rebounds and two steals off the bench. Despite the loss, Connecticut outscored Indiana in paint points, 38-28, and bench points, 20-5.
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