Kelsey Mitchell scored 21 points, while Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark each contributed 17 points to help the Indiana Fever defeat the Minnesota Lynx 81-74 on Sunday.
Boston had a career-high 16 rebounds and blocked four shots for the Fever. NaLyssa Smith added 11 points.
Indiana, who struggled early in the season with losses in 10 of their first 13 games, has improved with eight wins in their last 12 games. They have won their last two games and three of their last four.
Clark assisted Boston for a layup and Katie Lou Samuelson set up another basket for Boston inside, giving the Fever a four-point lead with 2 minutes remaining.
Kayla McBride narrowed the gap to one point with a 3-pointer just 8 seconds later. However, Clark was fouled and made two free throws to extend the lead to 77-74.
Mitchell blocked a layup attempt by Alanna Smith with 22 seconds left, was fouled, and made two free throws to increase the lead to five points with 16 seconds remaining. Clark then made two more free throws to complete the scoring with 6 seconds left.
Alanna Smith scored 18 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and made four steals for Minnesota (16-8), despite sitting out much of the second half due to foul trouble. Bridget Carleton tied her career-high with five 3-pointers and finished with 17 points, seven rebounds, and six assists.
Minnesota’s Napheesa Collier, who averages 20 points and 10 rebounds, missed her fourth consecutive game due to a foot injury.
Courtney Williams made a layup to tie the score at 50, followed by a layup from Dorka Juhasz. Clark received a technical foul for an incident with Cecilia Zandalasini, who also drew a foul on the play. McBride made the free throw, and Carleton hit a 3-pointer, with Williams making two more free throws to give Minnesota an eight-point lead with a minute left in the third quarter.
