Kelsey Mitchell scored 34 of her career-high 38 points after halftime Sunday as the visiting Indiana Fever erased a 50-29 third quarter deficit to earn a 99-93 win over the Connecticut Sun.
Mitchell canned 11 of 22 shots from the field, including 5 of 8 3-pointers, and was 11 of 12 at the foul line. She scored her team’s first 10 points of overtime before Lexie Hull drilled a game-sealing corner 3-pointer with 44.9 seconds left to make it 97-90.
Odyssey Sims added 19 points and seven assists for Indiana (19-16), which played its 13th straight game without star guard Caitlin Clark (right groin). Natasha Howard tallied 18 points and Aliyah Boston filled the stat sheet with14 points 13 rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks.
Marina Mabrey scored 27 points and dished out five assists for Connecticut (6-27), while Tina Charles added 21 points. Saniya Rivers came off the bench for 15 points and five blocked shots, and Aneesha Morris contributed 10 points, plus 11 rebounds.
Indiana forced overtime when Boston canned a 16-foot jumper with 21.8 seconds left in regulation. Mabrey missed a runner on Connecticut’s final possession, while the Fever failed to squeeze off a shot after rebounding and calling time with 1.4 seconds remaining.
Connecticut wasted little time putting its stamp on the first half, rattling off 12 straight first-quarter points and holding Indiana scoreless for 4:23. The Sun headed for the second quarter with a 24-11 advantage.
It got no better for the Fever in the second quarter. First, they lost starting guard Sophie Cunningham with a knee injury. Then, they trailed by 20 after Mabrey canned a 3-pointer in the final minute. The margin was 48-29 at the break.
Indiana made a move in the third quarter after the deficit grew to 21. Mitchell finally got untracked with 14 points in the period, helping it slash the margin to eight. But Leila Lacan beat the buzzer with a 30-footer, enabling Connecticut to take a 63-52 cushion to the fourth period.
–Field Level Media
