There were five lead changes in the final 45 seconds of regulation, with the decisive basket coming on Kelsey Mitchell’s driving finger roll with 10.1 seconds remaining to lift the visiting Indiana Fever to a 92-89 win over the Phoenix Mercury on Thursday.
Indiana (13-9) trailed by as many as 10 points in the fourth quarter, but an 11-0 run that included 3-pointers by Sophie Cunningham, Mitchell and Tyasha Harris set the stage for a wild finale.
Phoenix (8-15) ended the Fever spurt on a DeWanna Bonner 3-pointer with 2:48 to go. The resulting 82-80 Mercury lead transitioned into a back-and-forth finish with multiple ties.
Kahleah Copper finished with 22 points, matching Alyssa Thomas for the team lead. Thomas also delivered one of the lead-swapping buckets for Phoenix, cleaning up a deflected ball from Copper at the rim to answer Aliyah Boston’s make in the paint on the other end.
Boston, returning to the Indiana lineup after missing Wednesday’s first leg of a back-to-back in Los Angeles, finished with 21 points and nine rebounds. Harris added 15 points, including seven in the final four minutes on a variety of clutch baskets.
It was Mitchell delivering the ultimate game-winner, fittingly, to cap her game-high 29-point performance. After Thomas’ go-ahead score, Indiana cleared the floor to allow Thomas to operate one-on-one.
She created just enough space driving left to get off her scooping layup and seal the win. Mitchell also dished out a game-high eight assists.
Phoenix had one last opportunity, but Thomas could not get a clean look at the basket, and former Mercury player Cunningham drew a loose-ball foul on Copper to effectively end it.
Cunningham’s ensuing free throws gave her nine points off the bench, pitching in as Indiana filled the offensive void with Caitlin Clark sidelined. Clark returned on Wednesday from a back injury sustained against Phoenix, but sat on Thursday with the immediate turnaround.
Monique Akoa Makani scored 14 points off the bench for the Mercury.
–Field Level Media
