Kelsey Mitchell poured in 23 points to lead a balanced attack as the visiting Indiana Fever pulled away from the Dallas Wings in the second half for an 88-78 win on Friday.
The Fever (16-12), playing their sixth straight game without injured star guard Caitlin Clark, won their fourth consecutive outing. Indiana led by six points at halftime, by 13 after three and never let Dallas closer than six points in the fourth quarter.
After Paige Bueckers’ floating bank shot with 5:33 to play pulled the Wings to within 75-69, Indiana answered with a 5-0 run and was never threatened down the stretch. The Fever outshot the Wings 45.2 percent to 40.6 percent and made 12 3-pointers to Dallas’ two.
Aari McDonald added 15 points for the Fever while Aliyah Boston (12 points and 11 rebounds) and Natasha Howard (11 points, 16 rebounds) both had double doubles.
Bueckers led the Wings (8-21) with 22 points. Dallas has dropped two in a row and four of its past five games.
The Fever led for much of the first quarter before Dallas rallied to tie the game at 17 when DiJonai Carrington hit a layup at the 2:07 mark. The game was tied at 22 at the end of the period, with the Wings getting back into the game by outscoring Indiana 8-0 at the free-throw line.
After a ragged start by both teams in the second quarter, Indiana regained its stride, reeling off a 7-2 run capped by Chloe Bibby’s 3-pointer with 5:40 to play to go up 33-28. The Wings stretched the margin to eight points after McDonald’s three with 2:27 remaining and settled for a 48-42 lead at the break.
Bueckers led all scorers with 15 points before halftime while Mitchell and Howard had nine points apiece to pace the Fever.
Indiana expanded its advantage to 68-55 on a Lexie Hull steal and layup with 1:49 to play in the third quarter and led 70-57 heading into the final 10 minutes of play.
The game was played at the Mavericks’ American Airlines Center rather than the Wings’ usual home in Arlington, Texas.
–Field Level Media
