INDIANAPOLIS – Three Fever players recorded double-doubles in the same game for the first time in franchise history as Indiana (11-25) fell to the Dallas Wings, 110-100, on Friday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. With the loss, Indiana was officially eliminated from postseason contention.
Aliyah Boston’s double-double included a career-high 27 points on 11-of-17 shooting from the floor and 11 rebounds to go along with five assists. The WNBA All-Star became just the fifth rookie in WNBA history to record at least 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a game, per Across the Timeline. In addition, Boston pulled down three offensive rebounds on the night, which gave her sole possession of first place in the franchise ranks for most offensive rebounds in a rookie year.

NaLyssa Smith’s double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds included her 500th career rebound and ended the night with 509 rebounds through 59 career games. Smith is the fastest player in franchise history and eighth-fastest in WNBA history to reach the 500 rebound milestone, per Across the Timeline.

Erica Wheeler led Indiana to its season-high 27 assists as she dished out 10 assists and scored 12 points in her third double-double of the season.

Kelsey Mitchell added 25 points and five assists on the night, while Kristy Wallace pitched in 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the floor and 4-of-5 shooting from 3-point range.

After Mitchell netted Indiana’s first six points on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting clip to tie Dallas, 6-6, at the 8:15 mark, the Fever led the Wings on a 10-0 scoring run that would extend to 16-6 through the next roughly three minutes. Mitchell went on to score 11 points in the quarter, while Boston added eight points and dished out three assists. After shooting an efficient 57.1 percent (12-of-21) from the floor in the first frame, Indiana led Dallas, 27-24, at the conclusion of the quarter.

Dallas regained the lead one minute into the second quarter. Smith’s eight points and Boston’s six points on a 3-of-3 shooting clip guided the Fever through the second frame, but the Wings ended the final three minutes of the half on an 11-2 scoring run to go into the locker room leading, 54-46.

Highlighted by Wheeler’s six first half assists, Indiana dished out 16 assists within the first 20 minutes of play, which was the most assists it has recorded in a half this season and the second highest total for a half in franchise history.

The Wings took a 10-point lead to open the second half, but the Fever responded with an 18-6 scoring run that was capped off with a 3-pointer from Mitchell to give the Fever a two-point lead. Indiana outscored the Wings, 31-26, and shot 69.2 percent (9-of-13) from the floor in the quarter with the help of Mitchell’s nine points, Smith’s seven points, as well as Wheeler and Boston’s six points each. After seven lead changes within the final five minutes of the quarter, the Fever trailed the Wings, 80-77, going into the fourth frame.

While Indiana shot 33.3 percent (6-of-18) from the floor in the fourth quarter, the Wings took a 15-point lead, which was the largest lead of the game, and shot 61.1 percent (11-of-18) from the court in the final ten minutes of play. Despite Wallace’s nine points on a 3-of-3 shooting clip beyond the arc and Boston’s seven points, the Wings outscored the Fever, 30-23, in the final quarter to secure the win.

For Dallas, the Wings’ season-high offensive output was fueled by Satou Sabally’s career-high 40 points. Sabally’s 28 points in the second half were scored on a 9-of-10 shooting clip, and five of her seven 3-pointers were scored in the fourth quarter alone. The Wings forward also pulled down seven rebounds and dished out four assists.

Arike Ogunbowale followed behind in the scoring column with 25 points on 8-of-19 shooting from the floor and 5-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc. Awak Kuier and Kalani Brown added 10 points each, while Veronica Burton dished out a team-high eight assists.

UP NEXT
The Fever travel to take on the Dallas Wings at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Sunday at 4 p.m. ET. Sunday’s game will be broadcast on the official Indiana Fever Facebook page.