LOS ANGELES – The Indiana Fever (6-17) fell to the Los Angeles Sparks on Tuesday night, 79-78, in a game that featured 12 lead changes in the first of three regular season matchups this year. Though overcoming an 11-point deficit in the third quarter and maintaining the lead for roughly eight minutes in the final quarter, it was a completed 3-point field goal from Sparks guard Jordin Canada that put Los Angeles ahead with 3.7 seconds left for the win. With the win, Los Angeles ended an eight-game losing streak.

Kelsey Mitchell led all Indiana scorers for the seventh time this season as she notched 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the court to go along with four assists. In addition, Mitchell maintains second place in the franchise ranks for completed three-point field goals after recording her 400th career three-pointer this evening.

Victoria Vivians, who recorded her 1,000th career point on the night, followed behind Mitchell in the scoring column with 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the floor. Vivians also pulled down six rebounds and dished out three assists. As she ended the night with 1,013 career points, Vivians became the 17th player in franchise history to reach the 1,000-point plateau.

Erica Wheeler contributed 15 points and dished out a team-high eight assists. She continued the record-setting trend as her first three points of the night moved her past 1,500 points in a Fever uniform. Wheeler owns sole possession of ninth place in the franchise ranks for most points in Fever history with 1,512 points heading into Thursday.

Aliyah Boston added nine points and two steals, Lexie Hull tallied eight points to go along with two assists and two blocks. Emma Cannon recorded her 500th career point on the night and pitched in seven points and five rebounds off the bench.

The first matchup between the two teams this season opened with back-and-forth play as the first quarter consisted of five lead changes and four tied scores. The Sparks shot 6-of-10 from the floor within the first five minutes of play, but were held to 2-of-7 shooting for the remainder of the quarter. The Fever were led by Vivians’ seven points, Hull’s six points and Wheeler’s five points to go along with three assists. Indiana held the advantage going into the second frame, 22-20.

The Sparks took the lead early in the second quarter and remained within reach for Indiana as it did not exceed six points until the last thirty seconds of the half. The Fever were guided by Mitchell and Boston to close out the half as they each contributed five points. Los Angeles ended the final three minutes of the first half on a 14-6 scoring run that eventually put the Sparks ahead heading into halftime, 47-38.

Indiana led Los Angeles on a 21-9 scoring run in the third quarter that helped the Fever reduce an 11-point deficit and take the lead at the 1:43 minute mark. Mitchell fueled the Fever offense in the third frame as she notched 10 points on a 4-of-5 shooting clip, which included perfect 2-of-2 shooting from beyond the arc. The Indiana defense held the Sparks to only 13 points in the third quarter on 5-of-18 shooting, allowing it to maintain a one-point lead heading into the final frame, 61-60. Indiana outscored Los Angeles in the second half, 40-32.

The Sparks were led in scoring by Nneka Ogwumike’s season-high 30 points. Ogwumike also added eight rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block. Canada supported the offense as she netted 20 points on the night, while also dishing out a season-high ten assists and recording a game-high three steals. Azura Stevens added 15 points to the win, as well as a game-high three blocks.

UP NEXT
The Fever and the Sparks meet again at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. ET. Thursday’s game will be broadcast on the official Indiana Fever Facebook page and on NBA TV.