Fever star guard Kelsey Mitchell came out firing Tuesday night, pouring in 16 points in the opening quarter before finishing with 29 as Indiana held off the Toronto Tempo 101-95 for their fifth straight win.
Caitlin Clark added 24 points as Indiana kept its hot streak rolling, even with Mitchell sitting out the fourth quarter.
The performance also put Clark and Mitchell in the WNBA record book. The duo has now scored at least 20 points apiece in the same game 16 times this season, surpassing the previous mark of 15 set by Diana Taurasi and Cappie Pondexter with the Phoenix Mercury in 2008.
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Mitchell’s night also put her alongside another of the league’s biggest stars. Her standout performance marked her 20th consecutive game with at least 20 points, matching four-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson for the longest such streak in WNBA history.
But after pouring in eight points in less than a minute late in the third quarter, Mitchell headed to the locker room and did not return. Fever head coach Stephanie White said Mitchell got “overheated.”
Aliyah Boston scored 16 points, and Sophie Cunningham made all three 3-point attempts and finished with 13 for the Fever, who never trailed. Indiana has now won 10 of their past 12 games, while Toronto has dropped 11 in a row.
Toronto’s Marina Mabrey cut the gap to 97-93 with back-to-back 3-pointers late in the final quarter, but the Tempo got no closer.
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In the Fever’s first visit to Toronto this season, there was a mix of cheers and boos when Cunningham entered the game, and fans cheered when she missed her first free-throw attempt. Cunningham said in an ESPN profile published last month that she was opposed to transgender girls and women competing in girls’ and women’s sports.
Late in the fourth, fans cheered when someone holding a banner in support of transgender rights was shown on the video screen during a timeout.
The Fever travel to Dallas to face the Wings on Thursday, while the Tempo return to action Wednesday against the Washington Mystics.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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