Indiana holds court at home, force series-deciding Game 3 in Las Vegas

It’ll be a second straight year for Las Vegas where it encounters a winner-take-all game versus Indiana.

In its second trip to Indiana this year, the Aces lost for the first time in a, 99-89, Game 2 loss from Gainbridge Fieldhouse Tuesday, Sept. 29. That counts as the lone loss of the month of September for the defending champions after having their eight-game win streak snapped.

With the series knotted at one apiece, the Fever will head back to the desert for a Thursday, Oct. 1 Game 3 matchup with the Aces from the Michelob Ultra Arena. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.

For as well as Las Vegas defended the highest-scoring backcourt in WNBA history, it couldn’t duplicate the performance two times in a row. The guard tandem of Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell combined for 26 points in the first half of Game 2 on 9-of-20 shooting including four made threes and 11 assists by the former.

Indiana won the second quarter, 30-17, including a 28-14 run after Clark was assessed a technical foul. With that, the reigning champs went from up 11 points to down 11 points in about 10 regulation minutes.

At the time the Fever went up by double-digits, it was in the midst of a 40-21 spurt since the conclusion of the first quarter, a frame the Aces won by eight. Las Vegas trailed by as many as 15 points after leading by double-figures in the first half.

Clark fouled out for a second straight game but managed to put forth a stat line of 27 points on 50% shooting including five made threes. She also added a game-high 15 assists and seven rebounds.

Mitchell racked up 26 points on 7-of-16 from the field while going 9-for-11 from the free throw line.

Even with the offensive output, perhaps Indiana’s biggest adjustment came on the decision to double team four-time MVP A’ja Wilson. With that came the response by Hammon to go to a small-ball lineup resulting in starting center Brianna Turner playing just seven minutes while reserve guard Jewell Loyd logged 31 minutes.

Wilson was limited to 10 points and three of her team’s nine first half turnovers as a result of the defensive adjustment.

However, in the second half, Wilson would come alive. Partly, due to an altercation with a fan late in regulation that resulted in the nine-year vet being given a technical foul.

By the final horn, Wilson recorded 22 points on 5-of-11 shooting and nine rebounds.

Guard Jackie Young gave the Aces their first lead of the game on a first quarter three-pointer but did most of her damage in the second half. After scoring seven points in the first half, Young erupted for 12 in the third quarter and 12 more in the fourth quarter.

Young was at the heart of a 16-4 fourth quarter run by Las Vegas that saw the team momentarily trim the deficit to three points.

Guard Chelsea Gray scored five straight points to close out the first quarter on her way to 10 first half points. However, she’d be held scoreless in the second half of the eventual loss.