​Kelsey Mitchell delivered the deciding basket with 10 seconds left, finishing with 29 points as the Indiana Fever rallied to defeat the Phoenix Mercury 92-89 and close out the second half of their back-to-back set. Indiana came out strong, burying six three-pointers in the first quarter to grab a 28-24 lead, but Phoenix answered with a 29-19 second period to take a 53-47 advantage into halftime. The Mercury pushed their cushion into double digits early in the third, yet the Fever surged back, forcing four steals and erupting with a 13-0 run to reclaim the lead. Phoenix regained the lead again early in the fourth, extending it, but Indiana finished with an 11-0 stretch over the final two minutes to grab a one-point edge at 3:14 remaining.
Fever coach Stephanie White praised the team’s resilience, noting the importance of maintaining a steady mindset, answering runs, and resisting fatigue or distractions. “We grew tonight. I thought our execution down the stretch was excellent on both ends of the floor,” she said.
In the final stretch, Tyasha Harris contributed seven of her 15 points in the last three minutes as both teams traded leads before Mitchell’s decisive basket sealed the win. Mitchell extended her remarkable streak with 29 points, marking her fifth consecutive 25-point game, a franchise record, and tying the fourth-longest such streak in WNBA history behind only A’ja Wilson, Tina Charles, Maya Moore, and Arike Ogunbowale. The performance also marked her 123rd career 20-point game—second in Fever history and nearing Tamika Catchings’ 138—along with her 37th consecutive game scoring in double digits, tying Catchings’ franchise record set between 2003 and 2004. Mitchell also reached 727 career three-pointers, tying Katie Douglas for seventh-most in WNBA history, and she finished with three steals, boosting her Fever career total to 239 to surpass Ebony Hoffman for fifth-most in franchise history. She added eight assists, the first time this season she reached that total in a game.
Aliyah Boston contributed 21 points on an efficient 3-for-5 night from beyond the arc, raising her league-leading three-point shooting percentage to 46.4% for the season. It was Boston’s 34th career 20-point game, tying Caitlin Clark for fourth-most in Fever history. She described her focus as straightforward: “My mindset was to be efficient, shoot the ball with confidence, and be a strong post presence. We know AT likes to facilitate, so I wanted to make her job difficult and force her to be more of a scorer tonight.”
Harris, who returned this season from an injury that sidelined her last year, reflected on the crunch-time minutes that came with her return. “Coming back from a season-ending injury last year was hard. It was tough,” she said. “But I’m getting back into the flow of things, and it feels really good. My teammates and coaches stay in my ear about staying confident. It’s on me to shoot the ball.”
White emphasized the halftime adjustment that helped turn the tide: a focus on tightening the Fever’s defense to stabilize the game. With that emphasis, Indiana was able to weather Phoenix’s late pushes and finish strong, securing a hard-fought comeback victory to end the second half of a back-to-back stretch. The win highlighted Indiana’s resilience, balanced scoring, and timely defensive stops when it mattered most.