August 11, 2015 – Tamika Catchings leads the Fever to victory with 20 points, 6 rebound, and 4 assists.

WASHINGTON – Tamika Catchings scored a game-high 20 points, 10 in the fourth quarter, to pace the Indiana Fever to a 73-62 win over the Washington Mystics, Tuesday at Verizon Center.

Catchings shot 9-of-18 from the floor and also finished with six rebounds to match Tina Thompson as the second-leading rebounder in WNBA history (3,070). She already is the league’s second-leading scorer and its all-time leader in steals and free throws.

PHOTO GALLERY: Fever 73, Mystics 62 »»

Overall, Indiana owned a 37-26 rebounding edge and used a dominant third quarter to overcome an early deficit to win for the fifth time in six games since the All-Star Break. Indiana evened the season series with Washington (2-2) and pulled into a third-place tie with Washington in the Eastern Conference, both at 13-9.

“I looked at this game like a playoff game,” said Catchings, avenging a 2-point performance and a 68-50 loss here on July 17. “As a team, we left here with a bad taste in our mouths the last time.”

Asked of tying Thompson on the league’s all-time rebounding chart, Catchings quipped, “I’m old. That’s what that means.”

The 36-year old All-Star added, “It’s important for me to go hard every time I step on the floor. It’s the way I play.”

Playing hard is how the Fever overcame its 12-point deficit midway through the second period.

“For us to come back like we did, with all our energy and hustle plays just to get back in the game by halftime, that was special,” said Fever coach Stephanie White.

Indiana led 11-9 early, but surrendered an 11-2 run to lose the lead. Back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers by Tierra Ruffin-Pratt, Tayler Hill and Ivory Latta staked the Mystics to a 29-17 lead with 6:20 left in the first half.

Remarkably though, Indiana led at the break and never looked back.

The Fever outscored the Mystics 15-2 to close the second quarter, then opened the third period with a 10-4 run. After three successive offensive rebounds, a driving layup by Tamika Catchings put the Fever ahead 44-35 with 5:11 left in the third.

Indiana dominated Washington 20-6 in the third period and enjoyed its largest lead at 52-37 on a short jumper by Lynetta Kizer. Washington scored the last seven points though, to pull within 52-44 entering the final quarter.

But the Mystics never got closer. Catchings made 4 of 5 shots in the fourth quarter and iced the game with a pair of free throws in the final minute.

Former University of Maryland and Mystics star Marissa Coleman added 11 points for the Fever, as did offseason trade acquisition Shenise Johnson who scored in double figures for the 11th time in the past 12 games, coinciding with a streak that has seen the Fever win 9 of 12.

Washington was led by Ruffin-Pratt’s 17 points. Latta added 13 and Hill pitched in 12.

Indiana played without rookie center Natalie Achonwa who remains active with the Canadian National Team at the FIBA Americas Championships in Edmonton.

Indiana continues a four-game road swing at Phoenix, Sunday, when the Fever plays three straight on the West Coast.