August 10, 2023
INDIANAPOLIS – After gaining possession of the lead at the 6:13 mark of the second quarter, the Indiana Fever (8-22) would never trail again and defeated the Minnesota Lynx, 91-73, on Thursday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Indiana leads the regular season series between the teams, 2-1, entering the fourth matchup with the Lynx on September 10 to conclude the regular season.
Five Fever players ended the night scoring in double-figures, highlighted by All-Star Kelsey Mitchell’s 24 points on 8-of-15 shooting. Mitchell totaled five 3-pointers on the night while dishing out four assists and moved into 24th place all-time in career 3-point field goals made with 417. Guard Erica Wheeler followed behind with a double-double of 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the court to go along with a game-high 10 assists.
With her 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting this evening, All-Star Aliyah Boston ended the night in sole possession of second place for most points in a season by a rookie in franchise history. As she ended the night with 443 points through her first 30 games of her career, she surpassed Mitchell in 2018 (432 points) and NaLyssa Smith in 2022 (433 points) and now trails only Tamika Catchings in 2002 (594 points). Boston also ended the night with a team-high 13 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the season.
Fever guard Kristy Wallace earned her second start of the season and contributed 13 points in the win. Wallace tied a season best as she netted three 3-point field goals on a season-high six attempts beyond the arc. In addition, Smith added 12 points and seven rebounds in her second consecutive game back from injury. Emma Cannon also came off the bench for the 100th regular season game played in her career.
Indiana outscored Minnesota, 34-18, in the paint, and dished out 23 assists on the night, which is one assist shy from tying its season-high.
A quick 3-pointer from Wheeler jump started an Indiana 7-0 scoring run to open the first minute of play, but an identical scoring run from Minnesota allowed it to tie the score and turned the matchup into a game of back-and-forth play. Wallace led Indiana’s scorers with six points in the opening quarter, while Boston and Wheeler added five points a piece both on 2-of-3 shooting from the floor. After a quarter featuring three lead changes, Minnesota escaped the first frame with the advantage, 21-20.
Indiana held Minnesota to only three field goals on 13 attempts in the second quarter, allowing it to outscore the Lynx, 25-14, in the frame. Mitchell guided the Fever as she notched 10 of her 14 first half points in the second frame alone. A layup from Mitchell at the buzzer capped a 10-2 scoring run and gave Indiana a 10-point lead going into the locker room, 45-35.
The Lynx opened the first two minutes of the second half shooting 0-of-5 from the floor, allowing the Fever to stretch the lead to as many as 18 points in the third quarter. Indiana shot 62.5 percent from the court (10-of-16) in the quarter, highlighted by Mitchell’s 10 points earned from a free throw and three 3-pointers on five attempts. Boston followed behind with six points on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting clip while also pulling down four rebounds. The Fever cruised into the final frame, 71-59.
Indiana’s 9-0 scoring run into the first three minutes of the fourth quarter propelled the Fever to outscore Minnesota in the final frame, 20-14. The Fever held the Lynx to 33.3 percent shooting (4-of-12) in the quarter while forcing seven turnovers. Wheeler and Smith guided Indiana to the win as they both recorded eight points to end regulation.
For the Lynx, guard Rachel Banham came off the bench to lead Minnesota with 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the court. Banham also recorded five 3-pointers on seven attempts. Banham was followed by Jessica Shepard’s 13 points, Diamond Miller’s 11 points and Kayla McBride’s 10 points.
All-Star Napheesa Collier, who ended the night tying a season-low eight points, was scoreless in the first half, which is the first time she has been held to zero points in a half since September 2, 2021.
UP NEXT
The Fever return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET to host the New York Liberty. Sunday’s game will be broadcast on ESPN.
Originally posted on fever.wnba.com