Indiana Fever Beat the Aces Again — And They Scored 100+ Points!

What Happened in the Game?

Imagine two teams playing basketball. The Indiana Fever went to Las Vegas to play the Aces, who won the championship last year. The Fever won big: 109 to 75.

This was the second time in just eight days that Indiana beat the Aces in Las Vegas. The Fever also reached 100 points for the eighth time this season — that’s more than any other team in the WNBA (the big professional women’s basketball league).

Who Played This Time?

In the first game on July 5 (which Indiana won 84-68), two star players were hurt and didn’t play:

• A’ja Wilson (Aces)
• Caitlin Clark (Fever)

But on Sunday, both were back on the court!

Caitlin Clark’s Back Story

Caitlin Clark had a sore back that started hurting on June 24. Because of that, she missed two games. Here’s what she did after coming back:

1. Played 16 minutes in a loss at Los Angeles on Wednesday.
2. Sat out Thursday’s win at Phoenix so she wouldn’t play two days in a row (to protect her back).
3. Against the Aces, she hoped to play about 25 minutes — and she almost did! She played 24 minutes and finished with:
   • 12 points
   • 7 rebounds (catching the ball after a missed shot)
   • 6 assists (passing to a teammate who then scores)

Other Fever Stars

• Kelsey Mitchell led Indiana with 27 points. That’s her sixth game in a row with at least 25 points!
• Aliyah Boston had 19 points and 11 rebounds.
• Sophie Cunningham scored 20 points and made 6 out of 7 shots from beyond the 3-point line (a longer-distance shot).

How Well Did Indiana Shoot?

The Fever were super accurate:

• 56% of their shots overall (38 out of 68)
• 48% from 3-point range (15 out of 31)
• 95% from the foul line (18 out of 19)

Important Point: Indiana’s 34-point win tied their biggest ever against the Aces. The only other time was in 2003, when the Aces were in San Antonio and called the Silver Stars.

What’s Next for the Fever?

Indiana’s record is now 14 wins and 9 losses. They went 3 wins and 1 loss on their West Coast trip. Now they get to play four home games in a row before the league’s All-Star break (a mid-season rest). The first one is Wednesday against Golden State.

Coach Stephanie White said: "I thought our team was tough-minded. We’re building consistency to these types of efforts."

News from the Aces Side

The Aces (17 wins, 7 losses) had some good news:

• Guard Dana Evans played her first game this season after a leg injury. She came off the bench and scored 8 points in 18 minutes. She was part of last year’s championship team.

But overall, the Aces had a rough night. Coach Becky Hammon said they looked bad from the start. They had played three games in four days:

• Won at Portland on Thursday (88-80)
• Won big over Phoenix on Saturday (106-58)
• Then lost badly on Sunday

Important Point: The Aces’ drop from a 48-point win on Saturday to a 34-point loss on Sunday is an 82-point swing. That’s the biggest change from one game to the next in WNBA history!

Hammon said: "Maybe we just didn’t have the juice today."

What Did the Stars Say?

A’ja Wilson (20 points, 12 rebounds) didn’t blame being tired, but said rest helps since they don’t play again until July 20:

"We got our butts kicked tonight. We just didn’t show up as ourselves… I do feel like we need to rest a little bit."

Summary

The Indiana Fever beat the defending champion Las Vegas Aces 109-75, their second win there in eight days. Caitlin Clark returned from back issues, Kelsey Mitchell stayed hot, and the team shot incredibly well. The Aces had a historic 82-point swing from Saturday’s big win to Sunday’s big loss, but both teams look forward to what’s next — Indiana to home games, and Las Vegas to some rest.

FAQ

1. What does "100-point mark" mean?
It means a team scored 100 or more points in a game. Indiana did this 8 times this season — the most in the league.

2. Why didn’t Caitlin Clark play some games?
She had back problems that started June 24, so she rested to get better.

3. What is the WNBA All-Star break?
It’s a short pause in the season where the best players meet for a special game and everyone rests.

4. Why was the Aces’ loss so historic?
They won by 48 points on Saturday and lost by 34 on Sunday — an 82-point difference, the largest ever between two games.

5. Who is Dana Evans?
A guard for the Aces who returned from a leg injury to play her first game of the season on Sunday.