A third-quarter skirmish against Natasha Cloud didnA third-quarter skirmish against Natasha Cloud didn’t prevent Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark from leading the Indiana Fever to a 98-89 win over the Phoenix Mercury [Image Credits: @IndianaFever/X]

Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell’s superb start gave the Indiana Fever a 54-37 halftime lead. Mitchell’s 10-point first-quarter output was key to Indiana’s 33-16 advantage after the first 10 minutes. The fiery opening outburst allowed the Fever to fend off a desperate second-half rally by the Phoenix Mercury to walk away with a 98-89 win.

Phoenix began to turn the game around in the third quarter by playing with more energy and getting physical on defense. The target of the enhanced attention on that end were Clark and Mitchell, Indiana’s catalysts in the first half.

Natasha Cloud, one of the WNBA’s best defenders, had the enviable job of slowing down Kelsey Mitchell. In one third-quarter sequence, Cloud hounded Mitchell over a screen by NaLyssa Smith, forcing the Indiana guard to stumble. Mitchell responded by shoving the Mercury defensive ace.

After the game, Mitchell had this to say about that play:

“Got to get a little gritty and dirty, obviously. Sometimes, having passion in the game, some moments can just spike your team up. … I had a moment myself with T Cloud. Hats off to her for being a competitor.”

Mitchell and Cloud received technical fouls for the scuffle but both remained in the game. The skirmish did not “spike up” the Fever as Mitchell said. Instead, it was the Mercury who shook out of their stupor after the confrontation. Phoenix trailed 61-51 before that play and then dropped a crippling 11-0 run to grab a 62-61 lead following a Kahleah Copper 3-pointer with 2:17 to go.

Caitlin Clark took over for the Fever after the Mercury erased the lead. She had four points and two assists to finish the quarter. Her nifty pass to Katie Lou Samuelson, who drained a 26-footer, returned the lead to Indiana 73-65 to end the third frame.

Fever close out Mercury behind Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell

The increased physicality did not slow down Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell for long. Clark had eight points and four assists, three of which were to Mitchell, in the final frame. The Fever shooting guard had 10 points and a dime to Lexie Hull which resulted in a crucial 3-pointer.

Indiana had a 91-79 advantage with 3:02 remaining in the game but the Phoenix Mercury refused to quit. Back-to-back triples by Natasha Cloud and Kahleah Copper closed the gap to 91-85 before Hull’s long-range bomb off a Mitchell pass pushed the lead to 95-84.

Diana Taurasi and Kahleah Copper kept pushing the pace to catch up with the Fever. Indiana held on behind the poised and clutch plays of Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell to lead the host to the win. The Fever finished this season with a 3-0 record against the Mercury.

Edited by Michael Macasero