Fever cruise to second blowout of Sky this season

Kelsey Mitchell scored a game-high 17 points and Natasha Howard chipped in 13 to lift the visiting Indiana Fever over the Chicago Sky 79-52 on Saturday in the first WNBA game played at United Center.

Indiana (4-4) forced Chicago (2-5) into 21 turnovers. The Fever led wire to wire and built a 30-point lead nearly three weeks after routing the Sky by 35.

Success from deep propelled Indiana. The Fever hit 11 3-pointers for the second straight game, led by Aari McDonald (12 points), who connected on three from beyond the arc.

Fever coach Stephanie White missed the game due to personal reasons. Assistant Austin Kelly served as interim coach.

The Sky shot 32.1 percent from the floor compared to 45.8 percent for the Fever. Chicago especially struggled to facilitate after point guard Courtney Vandersloot left the game with a right knee injury on a non-contact play in the first quarter. Team training staff helped Vandersloot off the floor.

Indiana limited Chicago to 11 points in the third quarter. Kamilla Cardoso and Rebecca Allen led the Sky with eight points apiece. Angel Reese snagged a game-high 12 rebounds.

Aliyah Boston added 11 points for Indiana. Lexie Hull led the team with six rebounds, while Boston, Howard and Mitchell grabbed five apiece to help Indiana to a 32-30 advantage on the glass.

Chicago trailed by as many as 14 in the first half as the Fever took a 41-28 advantage into intermission.

Mitchell (nine points) and Howard (eight) led a balanced attack for Indiana before the break. The Fever dished 11 assists on 14 made first-half field goals.

Indiana’s Caitlin Clark (left quad) and Sophie Cunningham (right ankle) missed the game. Clark starred in the Fever’s season-opening home win against Chicago on May 17 with a triple-double (20 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds).

Clark’s impact on ticket sales upon entering the league in 2024 helped shift the game from Wintrust Arena to United Center, home of the NBA’s Chicago Bulls. A Sky franchise-record crowd of 19,496 attended the game. The teams are set to meet again at United Center on July 27.

Indiana has won five of six in the all-time series.

–Field Level Media