Kelsey Mitchell scored 26 points to lead four Indiana scorers in double figures as the Fever rolled past the visiting Los Angeles Sparks 111-87 on Saturday in Indianapolis.
Indiana (11-8) led almost the entire game, but took control in the second quarter with a 17-6 run. The Fever held Los Angeles (8-10) to a scoreless stretch lasting almost four minutes during the pivotal spurt, running away with the win despite star guard Caitlin Clark sitting out due to a back issue.
Aliyah Boston led Indiana to a 20-point halftime lead, scoring all 17 of her points for the night in the first two periods. Boston was nearly perfect on her scoring opportunities, shooting 5-of-6 from the floor and 6-of-6 at the free-throw line.
Boston also blocked three shots, all in the first half, and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds, tied with Lexie Hull.
Although Hull was the lone Fever starter to not score at least 15 points, finishing with five, she was one of seven Indiana players to dish multiple assists. Raven Johnson’s four dishes led the Fever, with 23 of Indiana’s 37 made field goals on 67 attempts coming via assist.
With a sizable cushion at intermission, Indiana snuffed any hope of a Sparks rally immediately out of the locker room. The Fever opened the third quarter with a 16-5 onslaught that pushed the gap to 31 points, marking the second time in as many games of Los Angeles’ two-game road swing that the Sparks trailed by more than 30 points.
After enduring a 28-point rout on Thursday at Toronto, Los Angeles – playing its second game in a span of at least four weeks without leading scorer Kelsey Plum – struggled through a 4-of-20 3-point shooting performance on Saturday.
Ariel Atkins made both of her attempts from deep, snapping a recent scoring slump with 12 points. Nneka Ogwumike led Los Angeles with 17 points, Dearica Hamby added 15 and Rae Burrell scored 11.
But with Indiana shooting a red-hot 10-of-19 from 3-point range – led by Mitchell’s 4-of-6 – and the Fever outscoring the Sparks at the foul line 27 to 17, the Sparks’ balance was no match for Indiana’s.
Tyasha Harris scored 16 points, Monique Billings added 15 and Sophie Cunningham came off the bench to notch nine points for the Fever.
–Field Level Media
