Kelsey Mitchell scores 34 points,
leads Fever to Game 1 upset win over Aces, 89-73
[September 22, 2025]
By W.G. RAMIREZ
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Kelsey Mitchell scored a playoff-career high 34
points and the Indiana Fever beat the Las Vegas Aces 89-73 on Sunday
in Game 1 of the best-of-five semifinal series.
After seeing their double-digit lead shrink to three points with
2:51 left in the third, the Fever closed the quarter on an 11-0 run
to extend their advantage to 14 points, seizing control of the game
and never looking back.
Mitchell, who finished fifth in MVP voting with 93 points, scored 17
points in the first half, setting the tone for the Fever’s offense.
The veteran guard, who finished the regular season ranked third in
scoring with 20.2 points per game, shot 12 of 23 (52.2%) from the
floor, including 4 of 6 from 3-point range in her first-ever
semifinal game.
“I think what you guys see is just me trying to just be a kid in the
playground," said Mitchell, whose scoring tally was the
second-highest in franchise history.
Odyssey Sims had 17 points, while Natasha Howard finished with a
double-double (12 points, 11 rebounds).
The Fever finished the game hitting 50% from the floor (34 of 68),
while the Aces shot just 29 of 71 (40.8%).
“We wanted to come in and be the aggressor right away to make sure
that we were dictating on the defensive end, and we were dictating
from a pace standpoint,” Fever coach Stephanie White said. “We knew
that they were going to make runs. They made a big one in the third
and we responded with a big one. It’s one game, it’s a long series.
... But to come in here and to be able to steal this one was big for
us.”
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Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray (12) reacts after a foul by the
Indiana Fever in the first half of Game 1 of a WNBA basketball
playoff semifinals series Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP
Photo/Candice Ward)
The victory spoiled A’ja Wilson’s celebration for
becoming the WNBA’s first player to win four MVPs in her career. The
29-year-old, who was also named the AP Player of the Year, finished
with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Wilson shot just 27.3% (6 of 22)
from the field.
Jackie Young led the Aces with 19 points, while Dana Evans came off
the bench to score 14 points and Chelsea Gray chipped in with 13.
Las Vegas hadn’t lost at home since Aug. 2, when the top-seeded
Minnesota Lynx handed the Aces the worst home loss in WNBA history,
a 53-point beatdown. From that point, the Aces closed the regular
season on a 16-game win streak before defeating the Seattle Storm in
the opening round.
The win was even more impressive, considering the Aces came into the
game without a single player on the injured list, while the Fever
had six.
Already shorthanded without Chloe Bibby (left knee), Caitlin Clark
(right groin), Sydney Colson (left knee), Sophie Cunningham (right
knee) and Aari McDonald (right foot), Indiana added Damiris Dantas
to the list, as she was in concussion protocol.
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