Kelsey Mitchell scored a season-high 25 points and the Indiana Fever held the host Seattle Storm without a point for more than 10 minutes in the second half en route to an 80-68 victory on Thursday.
Mitchell shot 8 of 16 from the field, including a whopping 7 of 11 from 3-point range, for the Fever (5-7), who won only five games last season (5-31).
NaLyssa Smith added 12 points and a game-high 14 rebounds while Erica Wheeler chipped in 10 points and five assists for Indiana.
Emma Cannon tallied 10 points and eight rebounds for the Fever, who defeated the Storm (3-9) for the first time in eight meetings dating to August 2020.
The Fever, who have won three of their past four games, shot 30 of 69 (43.5 percent) from the field, including 10 of 22 (45.5 percent) from 3-point range. Indiana outrebounded the Storm 47-29.
Seattle, which has dropped five of its past seven games, was led by Jewell Loyd’s 19 points and four assists. Ezi Magbegor had 18 points and six rebounds.
Ivana Dojkic finished with 11 points, six assists and five rebounds for the Storm, who shot 22 of 74 (29.7 percent) from the field, including 11 of 29 (37.9 percent) from beyond the arc.
Trailing 48-44 at halftime, the Storm took a 59-58 lead on Kia Nurse’s 3-pointer with 4:11 left in the third quarter. But Indiana closed on a 9-0 run to take a 67-59 advantage entering the final period.
The Fever stretched their lead to 75-59 before the Storm broke out of a scoreless stretch that lasted nearly 10 1/2 minutes and saw them go 0-for-22 from the field. Jordan Horston’s layup with 3:48 remaining left Seattle down 75-61.
Neither team led by more than six points during the first half, when each team shot better from outside the arc than inside it.
Mitchell had 12 first-half points and Smith added 10 for Indiana, which shot 18 of 41 (43.9 percent) from the field before the break, including a red-hot 6 of 13 (46.2 percent) from beyond the arc.
Loyd and Magbegor each had 13 first-half points for the Storm, who shot 14 of 37 (37.8 percent) from the field prior to halftime, including 8 of 18 (44.4 percent) from distance.
–Field Level Media
