yeah it h a little bit um I would say it's definitely up there with one of the most physical games I've played so far but that's like you know you're going to get there from them when you're when you're coming into this game that's just how they are they're a physical team they set a lot of screens they do a really good job of setting and using screens they really do um but I thought we navigated screens well especially when we needed to late in the fourth quarter we were switching well um contesting shots and you know rebounding and getting getting stops at the end what the reason we won uh well it's been uh in our locker room about when the last MVP Connecticut and I think for us was kind of like a personal endoor like let's see what we can do as a group and I think that after this ensuring that what we do bring to the table has value um I think our our 12 can only get stronger and I think going forward you only see our group get Tighter and Tighter and we going to be able to withstand a lot of these matches down the stretch so with plenty of star power in the building the Indiana Fever defeated the sun on Wednesday night at a highly energized gamebridge Fieldhouse Indiana's 8480 Victory help the fever avoid a season sweep by the sun this marked a significant turnaround for a fever team that had lost to Connecticut three times earlier this season including a game where coach Christy sides pulled her starters in the second half Olympic gold medalists Simone biles and Gabby Thomas were in the crowd along with entertainment icon and Indianapolis native David Letterman and Colts QB Anthony Richardson the fever are now 15 to 16 ranking seventh in the league and have strengthened their playoff position before Wednesday night the fever had five games where they scored 50 or more points by halftime all against teams they had beaten decisively throughout the season 3 against Atlanta and two against Phoenix Wednesday marked the sixth time they reached 50 points at halftime this time against a team they were 0o to3 against heading into the game however Indiana is a different team now compared to when they last faced the sun in June after initially trailing 82 Indiana quickly gained control they shot 50% n of 18 from three-point range in the first half and led the Sun the second best team in the league by nine points at halftime previously the fever had won all five games where they scored 50 points in the first half this time the challenge was a bit tougher with just a two-point lead and one minute left on the clock the fever found themselves an intense battle trading baskets with the Sun the game turned chippy as the sun being seasoned veterans fought relentlessly for every possession although the fever had previously won all five games where they scored 50 points in the first half this time maintaining the lead proved more difficult Lexi Hull earned her second start of the season on Wednesday after stepping in for Katie L Samuelson in the second half on Monday night we get enough text and stuff like that to be I guess gritty so to speak um I think that what we bring to the table who we are and who we're growing and showing to be is just who we are um I think that what what kayin brought obviously help but I think her and her play and utilizing us to like show as a group what we can do is super special and I think that the swags W continue continue to drip I guess because I mean we we only jell them more and more together and I think you know the sky's the limit for us Samson had taken herself out of Monday's game due to feeling unwell and later appeared on the injury report for personal reasons though she participated in warm-ups and was ultimately cleared to play she did not see action giving Hull another opportunity to shine Hull made the most of her chance playing a scrappy game throughout fighting for rebounds and extending possessions for the fever in crucial moments on the offensive end she delivered under pressure in one particularly tight sequence Caitlyn Clark lost and then regained control of the ball before passing it to Hull with mere seconds left on the shot clock agre with Kel it's been since what 2016 since the fever had beat oh 2021 sorry not 2016 what happened in 2016 4 for 24 oh yeah four for 2 A lot happened in 2016 I was 14 but anyway I think it's I think it's a big win for us um I don't know I mean this is a team that we felt we hadn't really given a game to at all we felt I think especially here like we felt like we gave one away but at the same time we didn't feel like we played like how we are playing now and then the two games there obviously were about as bad as it gets for us as a team this season so I'm just proud of of our group I thought we came in very motivated very excited for this game I thought our crowd was honestly incredible they were really into the game like that certainly helps us a lot especially when you need a big step there at the end like that's huge it feels like there's another defender on the floor and I'm just really thankful for that and um even though we didn't score a ton of points in the fourth like it was our defense like I said our defense and our rebounding despite being off balance and using just one hand Hull launched a three-pointer that sailed through the net she finished the night going four of five from Beyond The Arc scoring 17 points grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out three assists Kelsey Mitchell secures fifth consecutive 20-point game with just three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter Kelsey Mitchell found herself wide open in the three-point Corner near Connecticut's bench whether it was a defensive lapse by Connecticut or a deliberate setup Lexi Hull passed the ball to Mitchell swish that shot not only gave the fever a crucial one-point lead but also marked Mitchell's fifth consecutive game with 21 points all achieved since the Olympic break averaging 26.2 points per game since the break Mitchell has been a driving force for the fever leading both the team and ranking among the top scorers in the league her score has been instrumental in the fever's impressive 4-1 record post break including three wins against teams with 500 or better records Mitchell capped off the game with 23 points shooting an efficient eight of 14 from the field