Indiana Fever beat Connecticut behind Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell

INDIANAPOLIS — With plenty of star power in the building, the Indiana Fever knocked out the Sun on Wednesday night at an amped up Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Indiana’s 84-80 win helped the Fever avoid being swept by the Sun. It was a big turnaround for a Fever team who had lost to Connecticut three times earlier this season, including once when coach Christie Sides pulled her starters in the second half.

More:Fever, Caitlin Clark drawing bigger crowds — and bigger stars.

More:Caitlin Clark puts Freddy Fever in spotlight, yet no one seems to know what creature he is

Olympic gold medalists Simone Biles and Gabby Thomas were in the crowd, as was entertainment icon and Indianapolis native David Letterman and Colts QB Anthony Richardson.

The Fever are now 15-16, seventh in the league, solidifying their playoff position.

Here are three observations:

Fever come out hot against Sun

Before Wednesday night, the Fever had five games they had 50 or more points at halftime. All of them were against teams they have beaten handily throughout the season — three against Atlanta and two against Phoenix.

Wednesday was the sixth time — against a team the Fever were 0-3 against coming into the game. But Indiana is a different team from when the teams last met back in June.

After starting the game down 8-2, Indiana easily got a handle on the score. They shot 50% (9-of-18) from 3-point range in the first half and led the Sun, the second-best team in the league, by nine heading into halftime.

Previously, the Fever won all five games they scored 50+ in the first half.

This time, it was a little bit more difficult. The Fever found themselves up just two points with one minute left, and the Fever and the Sun were trading baskets. It was a chippy game — the Sun are veterans, and they are experienced in fighting for the ball.

The teams traded baskets down the stretch under Sun center Alyssa Thomas turned the ball over with 24 seconds left. Then, Connecticut got to fouling.

Lexie Hull sealed the victory with two free throws with just seconds left, and the Fever avoided the sweep of the league’s second-best team.

Lexie Hull gets second start of season

After starting in the second half in place of Katie Lou Samuelson on Monday night, Fever guard Lexie Hull got another chance Wednesday.

Sides said Samuelson took herself out of the game because she wasn’t feeling well Monday night, then she appeared on the injury report for personal reasons Wednesday. Samuelson went through warmups and was ultimately ruled available but didn’t play.

And Hull took advantage of the opportunity. Coming off three straight games with 20+ minutes, she showed why she deserved them Wednesday night.

Hull was scrappy the entire game, fighting for rebounds and extending possessions for the Fever. She found herself in clutch moments on the offensive end, and delivered: Caitlin Clark lost and regained control of the ball in one possession, getting the ball to Hull with just seconds left on the shot clock. Hull, off-balance and one-handed, heaved up a 3-pointer that swished through the net.

Hull ended up going 4-of-5 from 3-point range for 17 points, eight rebounds and three assists.

Kelsey Mitchell notches fifth-straight 20+ point game

With three minutes left in the fourth quarter, Kelsey Mitchell was wide open in the 3-point corner near Connecticut’s bench. Whether it was a defensive miscue for Connecticut or deliberate, Lexie Hull tossed the ball to Mitchell. Swish.

That shot gave the Fever a one-point lead with just minutes left in the game. And it gave Mitchell her fifth straight game with 21+ points — all of them coming after the Olympic break. She is averaging 26.2 points since the break, which is both leading the Fever and one of the top marks in the league.

Mitchell’s scoring efforts have been paramount for the Fever’s 4-1 record since the break, which includes three wins over teams with .500 or better records.

She finished the game with 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting.

How many points did Caitlin Clark score against the Sun?

Clark finished with 19 points on 7-of-17 shooting, as well as five rebounds and five assists.