By Madie Chandler | FeverBasketball.com

The Indiana Fever and the Minnesota Lynx – the only two remaining WNBA teams entering Friday with just a single loss since the Olympic break, each 7-1 – met in what may have been a foreshadow of playoff competition in Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Friday evening. The Lynx would leave with the win as they triumphed over the Fever, breaking Indiana’s five-game win streak, 99-88.

The Lynx have handed the Fever their only two losses in the last nine games, each behind a tsunami of points from Most Valuable Player contender Napheesa Collier. Collier’s 31 points sealed the deal on August 24th, and her 26 points overwhelmed Indiana on Friday.

“Honestly, I think they’re the hardest team to guard,” Caitlin Clark began. “I think their movement is incredible. The way they play is incredible. It’s how basketball should be played. I think our matchup is just great for basketball too. If you want to watch two teams that play basketball the right way, it’s this.”

Despite the loss, Kelsey Mitchell remained positive in the moments after the result became final.

“I think that we can get better, from what you saw today, based on those down the stretch, getting those stops and getting those next rebounds, we got to be better,” Mitchell said. “And I think that’s our next maturation defensively.”

Indiana trailed by as many as 13 in the third quarter, but battled back to within just one point during the fourth. Mitchell, a seven-year veteran of the WNBA, dug in her heels. Her 23 points were just part of her contribution to that comeback despite the Fever ultimately falling to the Lynx.

Mitchell has been a member of several Fever teams that fell short of a winning season, and her experience in playing games from behind gives her team a veteran perspective that plays into the poise needed to claw through tough comebacks against the league’s top teams.

Regardless of the result, Indiana proved that it belongs in the playoffs and can compete with a team as strong as Minnesota. The experience gleaned from these losses builds a team with a grit like the Fever.

“We’re not trying to prove any more,” coach Christie Sides said. “We just have to keep improving.”

Improved, the Fever are. Indiana now sits at sixth in the playoff race and is poised to play its way into a desired seeding position for the postseason as its young core continues to gel.

Indiana’s trio of stars combined for 68 of its 88 total points on Friday, and Caitlin Clark came just shy of a second consecutive triple-double. Her 25 points led the Fever, and she added eight assists and eight rebounds to her totals. Her five made 3-pointers brought her season total to 107, a new Indiana Fever franchise record.

And Friday night was a sellout – Gainbridge Fieldhouse’s 12th of the season.

“It’s a really amazing feeling when you’re a competitor,” Mitchell said. “You have the city at your hands and feet, and they’re supporting us. You know, win, lose or draw. It just makes you go harder. It makes you appreciate the moments a little bit more.”

Indiana is growing – its fanbase and its young core – through its gritty competition and inspiring play. Results aside, the Fever stand to build from this competitive loss by learning from it and improving, all behind veteran players whose composure is contagious.

The Fever have many more moments for Indianapolis as they host four more regular season home games before shifting their focus to the WNBA Playoffs. They host the Atlanta Dream on Sunday, and will look for a bounceback win to build momentum for the final stretch of the season.