Game Recap: Late Rally Lifts Fever Past Dream, Into WNBA Semifinals

Fri, Sep 19, 2025, 2:01 AM

 

Fever celebrating Game 3 win in Atlanta

The resilient Indiana Fever are moving on to the WNBA Semifinals. Indiana outscored the Dream 7-0 over the final 2:05 on Thursday night in Atlanta to stun the third seed, 87-85, in a decisive Game 3 of their best-of-three first round series.

Trailing 85-80 following Rhyne Howard’s 3-pointer with 2:32 to play, the Fever got back within one possession after Kelsey Mitchell’s layup off a dish from Aliyah Boston. Lexie Hull’s basket with 43.1 seconds remaining made it a one-point game and after Howard missed a three on the other end, Odyssey Sims found Boston for the go-ahead bucket with 7.4 seconds remaining.

After two Atlanta timeouts, Hull came up with a steal on the ensuing inbound. Sims was fouled with 1.2 seconds remaining and hit one of two free throws and Brionna Jones missed a three at the buzzer.

“This group has been through every situation imaginable,” Fever head coach Stephanie White said of the team’s mindset down the stretch. “We knew just had to keep it tight, we knew we had to get stops…It just takes a couple breaks to go your way.”

Mitchell led all scorers with 24 points in the victory, 19 of them coming in the first half. Sims tallied 16 points and eight assists, while Boston added 14 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists.

Natasha Howard finished with 12 points and six boards, while Hull scored 10 points and had two steals.

Allisha Gray led the dream with 19 points and 12 rebounds in the loss. Jordin Canada also recorded a double-double with 18 points and 10 assists, while Rhyne Howard scored 16.

Despite losing five players to season-ending injuries, the Fever are in the WNBA Semifinals for the first time in 10 years.

“This group is just really special,” White said. “We say it pretty much ad nauseam, but the resilience, the flexibility, the welcome and inclusive nature of this team, their selflessness to pull for the we over the me, the ability to let each teammate be who they are and shine at their best and to lift them up in those moments, that’s good for 12 to 15 points. It is. And you couple that with some of the toughness, the resilience, the grit, the fight, the scrappiness, and you always give yourself a chance.

“I love riding with these guys. I love coaching them and I’m just so incredibly proud of them.”

The Fever will advance to face the winner of Tuesday’s other Game 3 between Las Vegas and Seattle. Game 1 of the best-of-five semifinals will be on Sunday afternoon.