Aliyah Boston had 24 points and 14 rebounds, Kelsey Mitchell scored 25 and the short-handed Indiana Fever defeated the Las Vegas Aces 90-83 in Game 4 to tie their best-of-five semifinal series Sunday in Indianapolis.
Odyssey Sims added 18 for the sixth-seeded Fever, who forced a decisive Game 5 on Tuesday in Las Vegas despite playing the postseason without All-Star Caitlin Clark and three other injured guards.
“We attacked and we played with a sense of urgency,” said Fever coach Stephanie White. “I thought we were the aggressor. And when we’re aggressive and move the ball, good things happen for us.”
A’ja Wilson had 31 points and nine rebounds, Jackie Young added 18 points and nine assists and Chelsea Gray chipped in 12 points and nine assists for the second-seeded Aces.
Indiana held an eight-point halftime lead, but Kierstan Bell’s 3-pointer and NaLyssa Smith’s layup started the third-quarter scoring and pulled Las Vegas within 46-43. Boston made two free throws for Indiana’s first points and she followed with her team’s first field goal of the period as part of a three-point play that produced a 51-46 lead.
Gray answered with a 3-pointer before the Fever opened a 57-50 lead. Wilson scored the Aces’ last 10 points as they closed within one point before the Fever scored the final four to take a 67-62 lead into the fourth quarter.
Young made a 3-pointer to start the fourth before Howard and Sims each made two free throws to give Indiana a six-point lead. Wilson made consecutive baskets to get Las Vegas within 71-69.
Boston sank a layup for the Fever’s first field goal of the quarter after nearly five minutes and Sims added a jumper for a 75-69 lead.
Young converted a three-point play to get within 77-74 with 3:17 to go, but Boston answered with a jumper from the lane and Mitchell added three points to help build an 82-75 lead with 1:01 left.
“(The difference) was us on the defensive end,” said Aces head coach Becky Hammon. “We’re better when we play out of our defense. We didn’t get a lot of stops.”
Game 4 was tied for most of the first half as well. The lead changed hands three times and the score was tied three times before Natasha Howard’s basket gave the Fever the biggest lead of the first quarter at 15-10. Wilson scored four points to help the Aces get within 23-21 at the end of the period.
Young’s short jumper gave Las Vegas a 29-28 lead and started a stretch of eight lead changes. Sims scored five points and Mitchell added four as Indiana took a 46-38 lead into halftime.
-Field Level Media
