INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Kelsey Mitchell scored 27 points, Caitlin Clark added 23 points and nine assists, and Lexie Hull scored 12 of her career-high 22 points in the fourth quarter Sunday to help the Indiana Fever beat the Seattle Storm 92-75.
With 232 assists so far this season, Clark broke the previous WNBA rookie record of 224 by Ticha Penicheiro in 1998. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft has scored at least 20 points in five of her last six games. She is averaging 23.7 points on 47% shooting from the field, and 11.7 assists over that span.
Mitchell hit 10 of 19 from the field and 5 of 8 from 3-point range, while Hull was 8-of-10 shooting and hit a career-best six 3s on seven attempts. Aliyah Boston grabbed 15 rebounds to go with nine points and a career-high eight assists for Indiana.
Jewell Loyd hit a jumper that cut the Storm’s deficit to 61-60 with 9 minutes to play. Indiana’s Damiris Dantas made a free throw about a minute later, Hull hit a pair of 3-pointers 35 seconds apart, and Mitchell added another from behind the arc before Boston hit a short jumper to cap a 14-5 spurt that made it 75-65 with 5:51 to go.
Skylar Diggins-Smith answered with consecutive buckets in the lane to make it a six-point game just 28 seconds later but Hull again hit back-to-back 3s — this time in a 31-second span — to spark a 15-2 run. Clark followed with another 3-pointer and then assisted on 3s by Mitchell and Dantas, the latter of which gave the Fever a 90-71 lead with 2:24 remaining.
DREAM 82, SUN 70
COLLEGE PARK, Ga. (AP) — Tina Charles scored 22 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, Jordin Canada scored 13 of her 19 points in the second half and Atlanta beat Connecticut for their second consecutive win following a monthlong break for the Paris Olympics.
Atlanta had lost eight consecutive games, and 15 of 18, prior to the break. The Dream won back-to-back games — against two of the top four teams in the WNBA standings — for just the second time this season. Atlanta beat the Seattle Storm on Friday.
Rhyne Howard scored 13 points, and Allisha Gray added 11 for the Dream. The duo, who are Atlanta’s top-two scorers this season and average a combined 31.9 points per game this season, made just 5 of 21 (24%) from the field.
Olivia Nelson-Ododa hit a short jumper that gave Connecticut a 68-63 lead with 4:51 to play. Gray quickly answered with a three-point play, Canada followed with a driving layup, and Charles added a jumper that gave Atlanta the lead for good with less than three minutes remaining. Alyssa Thomas made a layup that cut the Sun’s deficit to a point about a minute later but the Dream closed the game on an 11-0 run.
Connecticut made just 1 of 7 from the field after Nelson-Ododa’s jumper midway through the fourth quarter.
ACES 87, SPARKS 71
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A’ja Wilson scored 34 points and grabbed 13 rebounds — her WNBA-record 17th game this season with 20-plus points and 10-plus rebounds — to help Las Vegas beat Los Angeles.
Wilson broke her own single-season record for 20-10 games of 16, set in 2023. The 6-foot-4 center has scored at least 20 points and grabbed 10-plus rebounds in eight consecutive games, also a WNBA record. The two-time WNBA MVP is averaging 29.3 points, 14.4 rebounds and 3.6 blocks while shooting 53% (85 of 161) from the field and 93.3% (56 of 60) from the free-throw line during that span.
Kelsey Plum hit four 3-pointers and finished with 18 points, Tiffany Hayes scored 11 and Jackie Young 10 for Las Vegas (17-9).
Rickea Jackson led Los Angeles (6-21) with 15 points. Dearica Hamby added 13 points, 11 rebounds and four steals and Kia Nurse scored 12 points — 10 in the first half.
Nurse hit a 3-pointer for the Sparks that tied the score midway through the second quarter but Wilson hit a short jumper and Plum scored in the lane before Hayes made a 3-pointer to make it 38-31 less than 2 minutes later and Las Vegas led the rest of the way.
MERCURY 86, SKY 68
PHOENIX (AP) — Diana Taurasi scored 12 of her 23 points in Phoenix’s highest-scoring first quarter of the season, Sophie Cunningham added 13 points and a career-best 10 rebounds — her first double-double in the WNBA — and they led for nearly 38 minutes in their win over Chicago.
Brittney Griner added 18 points. Monique Billings, who signed a seven-day contract with Phoenix (15-13) earlier in the day, made 5 of 7 from the field and finished with 13 points, eight rebounds and two steals in 23 minutes.
Taurasi, on the fastbreak, hit a pull-up 3-pointer from behind the hash mark to make it 7-4 and the Mercury led the rest of the way. The six-time Olympic gold medalist hit three free throws to spark an 11-3 run that pushed the margin to 22-11 when Griner made a short jumper 6 minutes into the game. Taurasi hit a jumper to close the first quarter and make it 32-19.
Angel Reese scored 19 points and grabbed a career-high 20 rebounds for Chicago (11-16). The No. 7 draft pick has grabbed double-digit rebounds in 20 consecutive games. After just 27 games, she is the fastest in league history to record 20 double-doubles, including each of the last four games. She also had 12 points and 11 rebounds in the WNBA All-Star Game.
Chennedy Carter added 16 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Sky. Kamilla Cardoso and Isabelle Harrison scored 12 points apiece.
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