The Indiana Fever came into Seattle on Tuesday night, weathered a spirited push from a short-handed Storm team, and left with a 105-95 win — powered by 32 points from Caitlin Clark and 28 from Kelsey Mitchell, and just enough defense down the stretch to put the game away.
The victory pushed Indiana to 18-10 on the season and completed a clean sweep of Seattle in their 2026 meetings. For a Fever squad that has spent the year proving it can win in more than one way, this was another example: a fast start, a wobble in the middle, and a closing kick when it counted.
How it played out
Indiana came out scorching. The Fever hung 37 points on the Storm in the first quarter alone — a barrage that had them up 17 after ten minutes and looking like they might run Seattle out of its own building.
But the Storm didn’t fold. Seattle chipped away through the middle of the game, winning both the second quarter (27-21) and the third (25-18) to erase most of that early cushion. By the middle of the third, a lead that had ballooned into the high teens had been trimmed to a single possession, and what looked like a blowout had turned into a genuine contest.
That’s when Indiana’s stars steadied the ship. The Fever answered with a 29-point fourth quarter, leaning on Clark and Mitchell to keep Seattle at arm’s length the rest of the way. The final margin — 10 points — was closer than the first quarter suggested but comfortable enough that Indiana was never seriously threatened in the closing minutes.
Caitlin Clark sets the tone
Clark was the engine again, finishing with 32 points on efficient 9-of-14 shooting, including 4 of 7 from three and a spotless 10 for 10 at the free-throw line. She added seven assists and four rebounds across 33 minutes.
It was the kind of complete, controlled performance that has become her signature this season — scoring when Indiana needed a bucket, setting up teammates when the defense collapsed on her, and getting to the line at will. On a night when Seattle threw multiple looks at her, going a perfect 10 for 10 from the stripe was its own quiet statement.
Mitchell keeps it rolling
If Clark was the headliner, Kelsey Mitchell was right there with her. Indiana’s leading scorer on the year poured in 28 on 9-of-18 shooting, knocking down four threes and all six of her free throws.
Together, Clark and Mitchell combined for 60 of Indiana’s 105 points — the kind of two-guard punch that few teams in the league can match. When both are shooting like this, the Fever become very hard to slow down, and Tuesday was another reminder of that. It’s the same backcourt that headlined the team’s franchise scoring record earlier this summer.
Boston plays limited minutes
There was a notable wrinkle in the Indiana rotation: Aliyah Boston, a game-time decision with a knee issue, was on a clear minutes restriction. The center logged just 11 minutes, though she made them count with 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting.
Indiana didn’t need a heavy workload from her, and given a healthy lead for much of the night, there was little reason to push it. Monique Billings picked up the slack in the frontcourt with a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double, and Sophie Cunningham chipped in 11 off the bench on 3-of-4 shooting from deep.
Hiedeman keeps Seattle in it
Seattle deserves real credit for making this a game. Playing without several key pieces — Ezi Magbegor and Dominique Malonga were both out — the Storm leaned heavily on Natisha Hiedeman, who responded with a game-high 33 points on 11-of-20 shooting and a red-hot 6 of 10 from three.
Hiedeman was the primary reason Seattle clawed back into it in the second and third quarters, and on most nights, 33 points from a guard is enough to steal a win. But the supporting cast couldn’t quite keep pace: Flau’jae Johnson added 16, though on a rough 4-of-15 night from the field, and no one else reached double figures until late. At 6-24, the Storm remain in a difficult stretch of their season.
What it means
For Indiana, this was a professional road win against a team it was expected to beat — and doing the expected thing on the road, without a fully available Boston, is its own kind of progress. The Fever move to 18-10, keep pace in a crowded playoff picture, and can bank a season sweep of Seattle.
The bigger takeaway is the same one that’s followed this team all year: when Clark and Mitchell are both cooking, Indiana has one of the highest ceilings in the WNBA. Nights like this one — where the offense sputtered for a stretch and the two stars simply took over — are exactly the kind of games good playoff teams learn to win.
Indiana will look to build on the result as the second half of the season rolls on. For a team that has shown it can win shootouts and grind-it-out games alike, the formula is starting to look familiar: ride the backcourt, get contributions on the glass, and close.
For more on the Fever’s season and how sports media is covering it, see Fever Set a Franchise Scoring Record and ESPN Layoffs, Explained. For more, visit our Sports section.
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