INDIANAPOLIS – The highest scoring first quarter (31) and first half (51) this season for the Indiana Fever was not enough in Sunday afternoon’s 100-89 loss to the New York Liberty at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

All-Star guard Kelsey Mitchell recorded her 11th 20-point game of the season as she led Indiana (8-23) with 22 points on 8-of-17 shooting against the Liberty. Mitchell also knocked down four 3-pointers on six attempts and shot 2-of-2 from the charity stripe.

Fever guard Erica Wheeler contributed a season-high 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting and a perfect 4-of-4 shooting clip from the free-throw line. In addition, Wheeler dished out four assists and enters Friday’s matchup against the Washington Mystics with 998 assists for her career.

With her 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting and nine rebounds today, rookie center Aliyah Boston recorded her fifth consecutive game with at least 15 points and eight rebounds on 50 percent shooting or better from the court, per Across the Timeline. The All-Star starter also dished out a team-high five assists and recorded two blocks. Boston is now tied with Tamika Catchings for the most made field goals by a rookie in franchise history with 184 made field goals.

Second-year forward NaLyssa Smith added 15 points in the matchup while pulling down nine rebounds off the bench.

Indiana was guided to its highest scoring first quarter of the year by Mitchell, who notched 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the court, as well as a perfect 2-of-2 shooting clip from 3-point range and at the free throw line, and Boston, who recorded nine points on 3-of-4 shooting from the floor. In addition, Boston pulled down four rebounds and dished out three assists within the first ten minutes of play. A layup from Lexie Hull at the 1:14 mark gave Indiana a six-point lead, which was the largest lead of either team in a quarter that featured 12 lead changes. The Fever kept the advantage as the quarter ended, 31-29.

New York opened the first roughly six minutes of the second frame with a 20-8 scoring run. The Liberty shot 55.6 percent (10-of-18) from the floor, while Indiana shot 40 percent (8-of-20) from the court in the second quarter. Despite being outscored 29-20 in the second quarter, the Fever recorded the highest scoring first half of the season, highlighted by Mitchell’s 17 points and Boston’s 11 points. Liberty forward Breanna Stewart’s 30 first half points powered New York to a 58-51 lead at the half.

With the help of a 14-6 scoring run, the Liberty opened the second half and took an 18-point lead on one occasion. Smith led Indiana in the third frame as she contributed seven points on 3-of-5 shooting from the floor and dished out two assists. Indiana ended the quarter on a 16-6 scoring run and reduced the deficit to 12 points going into the fourth quarter, 83-71.

Wheeler led Indiana in catching up to the Liberty and helped the Fever outscore New York, 18-17, in the final frame as she notched 11 points on 3-of-4 shooting from the floor and 4-of-4 shooting from the charity stripe. A layup from Smith with 59 seconds remaining in the game shortened the New York lead to six points, its lowest lead of the half, but a three-pointer from Betnijah Laney and two free throws from Courtney Vandersloot in response solidified the win for the Liberty.

New York was led by Stewart’s 42 points on the night and made her the first player in WNBA history to record three 40-point games in a single season and the second player to have at least 40 points against the same opponent multiple times in the regular season, according to Across the Timeline. With her six rebounds, six assists, three steals and three blocks, Stewart also became the first player to record 40/5/5/3/3 or better in a single game.

Jonquel Jones followed behind with 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting while pulling down a game-high 12 rebounds. Laney added 12 points, four rebounds and three assists, while Sabrina Ionescu added 10 points. Vandersloot led all players as she dished out a season-high 14 assists.

UP NEXT
The Fever return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Friday at 7 p.m. ET to host the Washington Mystics. Friday’s game will be broadcast on ION.