Kelsey Mitchell scored 28 points and eclipsed the 3,000-point mark to carry the visiting Indiana Fever past the Phoenix Mercury 83-73 on Sunday.
Mitchell shot 10-for-22 from the field and scored 13 straight points for the Fever late in the game as Indiana pulled away after letting Phoenix creep within one possession on 15 occasions in the second half.
NaLyssa Smith contributed 25 points and 11 rebounds for the Fever (9-24), who snapped a four-game road skid with their first victory away from Indiana since an 82-76 win over the Washington Mystics on July 19.
The Fever led 67-64 before forcing back-to-back turnovers that Mitchell capitalized on with two of her five 3-pointers that gave Indiana a 73-64 cushion with 3:14 to go.
Mitchell tacked on another jumper before her final trey of the game ballooned the Fever’s lead to 78-66 with 1:27 left and pushed her past the 3,000-point plateau.
No other scorer logged more than nine points for Indiana, who shot 44.6 percent from the field and drained 7-of-18 3-pointers.
The Mercury (9-23) were led by 18 points from Sophie Cunningham and 15 from reserve Megan Gustafson but shot a dismal 3-of-22 from distance and committed 14 turnovers that the Fever flipped into 20 points.
Diana Taurasi logged six points and three assists for Phoenix in the first half before a nagging toe injury kept her sidelined for the final two quarters. The Mercury also played without Brittney Griner (health and safety protocol) and Shey Peddy (concussion).
Phoenix was lethargic on offense in the opening half, committing nine turnovers against just three assists and missing all 10 of its 3-point attempts. The Mercury led for just over a minute in the first quarter and fell behind for good on Mitchell’s 3-pointer that made it 7-6 Fever at the 7:30 mark.
The Mercury hovered within a possession for most of the second quarter until Kristy Wallace drilled an open 3-pointer from the right wing to expand Indiana’s lead to 34-28 four minutes before halftime. Mitchell and Smith combined for 25 points in the first half as the Fever led 40-32 at the break.
–Field Level Media
