Kelsey Mitchell posted 18 points, five assists and four steals and the visiting Indiana Fever snapped an eight-game slide, topping the Washington Mystics 82-76 to open the second half of the WNBA season on Wednesday afternoon.
The Fever (6-15), who had not won since June 22, surpassed their win total from 2022. They used a 15-0 run spanning the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth to beat injury-riddled Washington (11-9) for the second time in three meetings this season.
Indiana’s Emma Cannon came off the bench to score eight of her 13 points in the fourth quarter, including two crucial 3-pointers. Rookie Aliyah Boston had 11 points and eight rebounds, Victoria Vivians also scored 11 and Erica Wheeler had 10.
Natasha Cloud carried the Mystics with 19 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals. Tianna Hawkins had 13 points and nine boards and Queen Egbo had 10 points and three blocks against her former team.
The Mystics held an early five-point lead before Mitchell pushed the Fever ahead. She scored nine points in the first quarter alone to help Indiana to a 26-21 lead.
Linnae Harper, playing for Washington on an injury hardship contract, opened the second quarter by making back-to-back 3-pointers to put the Mystics back in front.
The Fever struggled in the period before scoring seven points in the final two minutes for a 39-36 halftime lead.
Cloud broke a tie late in the third with a fast-break layup off Hawkins’ steal, then added a 3-pointer to make it 53-48 Mystics. But Indiana scored the final nine points of the quarter before Cannon and Amanda Zahui B. drilled triples early in the fourth for a 63-53 edge, the first 10-point lead of the game.
The Mystics ended their scoring drought with six straight points to draw within four, but Cannon and Grace Berger hit 3-pointers that gave Indiana an 11-point edge heading into the final minutes.
Cloud and Li Meng made 3-pointers 15 seconds apart during the final minute for the Mystics to slice a 10-point deficit to four, but the Fever iced the game at the foul line.
–Field Level Media
