INDIANAPOLIS — For almost three quarters, the No. 6-seed Indiana Fever were neck-and-neck with the No. 2 Las Vegas Aces.
Both teams were fighting for an advantage — the series shifted to Gainbridge Fieldhouse tied at 1-1 after Indiana stole Game 1 in Las Vegas and the Aces rebounded with a commanding win in Game 2.
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It looked like it would be a fight to the finish.
Then, the Fever started to flame out.
Indiana didn’t make a field goal for about nine minutes throughout the second half. It spanned from the 1:14 mark of the third quarter, when Kelsey Mitchell made a 3-pointer, to 2:25 in the fourth with a Lexie Hull layup.
The Fever kept within striking distance for a bit at the beginning of the fourth, getting stops and drawing fouls for free throws. Eventually, though, they ran out of gas. Las Vegas went on a 10-2 run in a stretch of the fourth quarter, capitalizing as Indiana missed 10 shots in a row from the field.
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“I thought we got a lot of good shots, didn’t make a lot of them,” coach Stephanie White said. “Missed some opportunities at the free-throw line, and then we got a little stagnant. We were still in a good spot, because we were getting stops until about the middle of the fourth, and then they went on that run.”
And what was a hard-fought game for three quarters turned into a commanding 84-72 win for the Aces to take a 2-1 lead in the series, putting the Fever on the brink of elimination.
Poor shooting: Kelsey Mitchell tries to shake off ‘just a bad day’ in Fever’s loss to Aces
Indiana heavily outrebounded Las Vegas at a 39-26 margin, but that didn’t matter if the Fever couldn’t make shots at the same rate. The Fever shot eight more times and took more free throws than the Aces, but Indiana went 23 of 76 from the field (35.6%) compared to Las Vegas’ 33 of 65 (50.8%).
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MVP finalist Kelsey Mitchell, who dropped 34 points in Game 1, hasn’t matched that amount of production in the past two games, either. Mitchell went 8 of 26, including 3 of 11 from 3-point range.
It was an off night for the Fever star, who has stepped up in immeasurable ways in the wake of five season-ending injuries.
“It’s all about making the right read, trying to mash the ball out, trying to find the next one, but I definitely remain aggressive,” Mitchell said. “Unfortunately, it didn’t really fall my way shot wise. But the goal is to always get there and create for others.”
Now, the Fever have their backs against the wall in a potential elimination situation once again. The Aces could clinch a spot in the WNBA Finals as early as Sunday.
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Insider: Fever’s shooting falls flat as Aces push Indiana to brink of elimination
Indiana dug itself out of a hole in an elimination situation once already — it lost Game 1 of the first round against No. 3 Atlanta, then won Games 2 and 3 to upset the Dream and take a spot in the semifinal round for the first time in 10 years.
The Fever know what they have to do to dig themselves out of an elimination situation once again.
To have a chance to dig themselves out of an elimination situation again, the Fever need to flush whatever feelings they have about this loss, and come into Sunday with a blank slate.
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“We can be emotional about it for the rest of the night,” Mitchell said. “I’m always hard on myself, so it’s gonna be pretty emotional for me. But after today, you turn the page and look forward to tomorrow, stacking the days and getting the reps that you need to get to be successful on Sunday.”
Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at capeterson@gannett.com or follow her on X at @chloepeterson67. Get IndyStar’s Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter. Subscribe to IndyStar’s YouTube channel and join Fever Insiders Live postgame.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana Fever cold shooting, stats today in loss to Aces in WNBA Playoffs
