MITCHELL HAS ANOTHER "CAREER NIGHT" AGAINST SKY AS FEVER MOVE TO 14-12
By Deon Cash
Kelsey Mitchell, one of the top scorers in the WNBA, put on a show in Chicago as the Fever rolled to a big road win against their division rivals.
Mitchell, the 3rd leading scorer in the WNBA, dropped 35 points in less than 30 minutes as Indiana stopped Chicago in the "Windy City." Mitchell has been playing at a 1st Team All-WNBA level all season. What she did was a team record.
Mitchell started hot (hitting 3 bombs in the 1st) and never turned off, leading the Fever in a game where a couple of other starters had off nights. Natasha Howard (0 pts) and Sophie Cunningham (5 pts), two starters who have been playing lights out for almost a month straight, was cold on the night offensively.
With Chicago being shorthanded, the Sky jumped out to a 5-0 lead. After that, the Fever took control early and never let the Sky regain control of the lead again.
The Sky would battle and make a run, actually cutting it to a 2-point lead (3rd quarter). However, Mitchell and the Fever rebuttaled every run by the Sky.
SKY GROUNDED WITH INJURIES
Without the services of All-Star Angel Reese, Courtney Vandersloot, Ariel Atkins and rookie Haley Van Lith, the Sky weren't able to get any consistent rhythm going on offense. Once they did, it was too late, as the Fever had already maintained control of the game. The Sky had a early lead, and once they lost it, they never recovered.
G Rachel Banham led the Sky with 26 points on the night. Dayton native and Fairmont grad Maddy Westbeld had 4 points and some solid play coming off the bench for the Sky.
FEVER STATS
While Mitchell cooked the Sky all night, she did have help.
Rookie Makayla Timpson had her best game of her career, with 14 points and 4 rebounds. Aliyah Boston continued to be "Ms Consistent" with another double double (15pts, 11 reb, 6 dimes). Lexy Hull had a nice all-around game while Aari Mcdonald continued her rock solid play (10 pts, 4 dimes).
With the win the Fever move to 14-12, as they sit in the 6 spot in the WNBA playoff standings. They are only 2 games away from being out of the playoff spot, so every game is crucial at this point.
CLARK FACTOR: NO TIMETABLE FOR RETURN
While it remains to be seen when Clark will be back, the Fever was able to find a way to get it done without her. They are 6-7 without Clark, while they are 8-5 with her. Clark is a dynamic player and while Aari Mcdonald is doing a great job of running the team, Clark offers a diverse style which should suit the Fever come playoff time. Regardless, Clark should not come back until she is fully healed.
NEXT GAME: VS PHOENIX (16-9)
In a game that will be intense to say the least, the Mercury travel to Indy to battle the Fever. They are sitting in the third spot overall and have taken off with the arrival of DeWanna Bonner, who abruptly left Indy earlier in the season and landed in Phoenix.
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