Kelsey Mitchell scored a team-high 25 points and the Indiana Fever outscored the visiting Atlanta Dream by 22 in the second half to earn a 99-82 win Friday night in Indianapolis.
Aliyah Boston added 19 points, eight assists and six rebounds for Indiana (10-10) before fouling out, while Sophie Cunningham came off the bench for 16 points and 10 boards. Caitlin Clark contributed 12 points and nine assists.
Jordin Canada starred in defeat for Atlanta (12-8), scoring a career-high 30 points and dishing out eight assists. Rhyne Howard added 14 points despite missing most of the second quarter with a knee injury and Brittney Griner chipped in 10 to go along with eight rebounds.
The Fever blew it open in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Dream 30-17 and leading by as many as 20 points in the last minute. After hitting only 30.9 percent from the field Wednesday in an 80-61 home loss to Golden State, Indiana canned 11 of 30 3-pointers and finished Friday night at 46.1 percent from the floor.
Atlanta was 11 of 29 on 3-pointers and ended the game at 44.8 percent from the field. Forward Brionna Jones, who averages 14 points per game, managed just six in 24 minutes before fouling out.
In the fourth and final regular-season meeting of the teams, Atlanta ripped off 10 straight points in 71 seconds early in the first quarter for a 12-4 lead as Canada hit a 3-pointer and set up Howard for a 3-pointer.
That was the beginning of an explosion few would have predicted. In a matchup that featured eight All-Stars at one point in their careers, it was Canada, who’s not been an All-Star, who went off for 26 first half points. Her sixth 3-pointer enabled the Dream to take a 45-40 edge to the break.
Indiana fought back in the third quarter, ringing up 29 points as Mitchell sparked the rally with a three-point play, three flagrant foul shots and a long 2-pointer. That enabled the Fever to take a 70-65 advantage to the final 10 minutes.
–Field Level Media
