Fever Bounce Back against Mercury After First Quarter Struggles
WNBA Indiana Fever

Fever Bounce Back against Mercury After First Quarter Struggles

Published on June 22, 2026 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Indiana Fever News Release


Indiana was off rhythm and out of sorts as Kelsey Mitchell's 3-pointer dropped in to beat the first quarter buzzer against the Phoenix Mercury on Monday. The Fever scored just six points in the opening period - their lowest scoring quarter in eight seasons. They trailed 19-6 heading into the second quarter with a Mercury squad that dominated the opening 10 minutes.

"I thought our energy was low," coach Stephanie White said postgame. "I thought we were tight, I thought we settled for a lot of jumpers, and when they weren't going in, you could almost kind of see us getting tighter."

Indiana shot 2-for-18 from the field in the first quarter and committed seven turnovers. The Fever needed to find some momentum in the second quarter.

Caitlin Clark returned to the court for the Fever to open the second quarter and provided the spark that ignited Indiana's offense. Sixteen seconds into the second period, Clark knocked down a 3-pointer after Raven Johnson swung the ball to her in the corner. The third-year guard then knocked down consecutive triples and kickstarted the Fever comeback.

After managing just six points in the opening quarter, Indiana outscored Phoenix 35-22 in the second to enter halftime knotted at 41. Clark took five attempts from 30 feet or deeper in the first half, and converted two of them en route to a 15-point second quarter performance. She led the Fever into the locker room with 15 points and four assists. Mitchell tallied 11 points in the first half for the Fever.

"She challenged our energy," Monique Billings said of White's message to the team ahead of the second quarter. "We just came out a little flat. I think we let our offense dictate our defense, shots weren't falling, so we were kind of on our heels on defense, not bringing as much energy. She just challenged us to wake up."

The Fever were wide awake in the second quarter, and so was Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The 35 points Indiana scored in Monday's second quarter marked its second-highest scoring quarter this season.

The Fever never looked back. Indiana notched another 30 points in the third quarter, and led by double digits until the final three seconds of the game. Indiana endured multiple attempts at a late rally by Phoenix - the game was still in contest with under two minutes to play - and secured a victory to open its three-game homestand.

Clark finished with a game-high 24 points and nine assists, Mitchell contributed 22 points, and Billings recorded her first double-double with the Fever. Billings' 14 points and 10 rebounds marked the 18th double-double of her nine-year career.

"They were scoring the ball at will [in the first quarter], and that was the difference in the rest of the game," Clark said. "We played in transition, we got stops, we passed, we cut, we moved - even when they went zone, we were able to exploit that. [We] can't get stagnant, [we've] got to keep moving, I think that's probably the focus going forward."

The Fever's 86-77 win over the Phoenix Mercury was the bounce-back win Indiana needed to set the tone for the week's homestand. Indiana dropped back-to-back contests to Atlanta late last week and needed a victory to set the tone for their three-game homestand this week.

The Fever were on a four-game winning streak before the two losses to the Dream, but the Fever are back in the win column after Monday's result. Indiana hosts Phoenix again on Wednesday, June 24, at 7:30 PM ET, then prepares for a matchup to close their homestand with the Los Angeles Sparks on Saturday.

Check out the Indiana Fever Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Women's National Basketball Association Stories from June 22, 2026


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central