Kelsey Mitchell's WNBA record spoiled as Fever lose rematch with Wings; Arike Ogunbowale stars

DALLAS — The Indiana Fever‘s five-game winning streak came to an end Thursday night, as they fell to the Wings 91-85 at American Airlines Center.

Kelsey Mitchell finished with 37 points and five assists for her WNBA record 21st straight game scoring 20 or more points. Aliyah Boston had 14 points with nine rebounds, Makayla Timpson had 11 points and 12 rebounds, and Caitlin Clark had 10 points and eight assists.

The Fever (24-13) are now tied with Las Vegas in the standings, but retain third place via tiebreaker rules.

Dallas (21-16) was led by Notre Dame product Arike Ogunbowale, who had 32 points. Jessica Shepard added 26 with eight rebounds and Awak Kuier had 11 points, eight rebounds and seven blocked shots. Paige Bueckers added 13 points, eight assists and six rebounds.

Here’s what I liked and disliked, and what the loss means.

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‘s loss vs Dallas Wings

• Kelsey Mitchell breaking records: Mitchell didn’t need the second half to break the record she’s been working toward for 21 games. She scored her 21st point, cementing her recording-breaking 21st straight game with 20 or more points, on a cutting layup off a pass from Clark. She is the Fever’s most consistent scorer this season by far, using her speed to slice through defenses and find ways to score on players six inches taller than her.

• Caitlin Clark‘s block: Defense has been Clark’s Achilles Heel through most of her collegiate and professional career, but she has taken a noticeable jump this season on the defensive end. She changed her mentality on defense coming into the 2026 season, putting more emphasis on trapping, trying to poke out the ball, and disrupting the paint. She showcased that improved defense with an emphatic block on 6-foot-2 Maddy Siegrist in the third quarter, forcing Dallas to get uncomfortable.

Kelsey Mitchell breaking records: Mitchell didn’t need the second half to break the record she’s been working toward for 21 games. She scored her 21st point, cementing her recording-breaking 21st straight game with 20 or more points, on a cutting layup off a pass from Clark. She is the Fever’s most consistent scorer this season by far, using her speed to slice through defenses and find ways to score on players six inches taller than her.

Caitlin Clark‘s block: Defense has been Clark’s Achilles Heel through most of her collegiate and professional career, but she has taken a noticeable jump this season on the defensive end. She changed her mentality on defense coming into the 2026 season, putting more emphasis on trapping, trying to poke out the ball, and disrupting the paint. She showcased that improved defense with an emphatic block on 6-foot-2 Maddy Siegrist in the third quarter, forcing Dallas to get uncomfortable.

• Using challenge early: Fever coach Stephanie White opted to use her challenge on an out-of-bounds possession call with about three minutes remaining in the second quarter while the Fever were down by one. The challenge was inconclusive, technically, which means the call stands, and the Fever lost both a timeout and their challenge for the rest of the game. Burning the challenge early in the game meant that, in what had been an extremely close game, the Fever did not have a challenge for the entire second half.

• Letting Jessica Shepard do her thing: Ironically enough, the only thing that stopped Jessica Shepard in the first half was a pair of free throws. She didn’t play in the Wings-Fever game last week because of injury, but quickly made her presence known in the rematch with 22 points in the first half on 10-of-11 shooting — including a 3-pointer that had a favorable bounce around the rim before dropping. Indiana did a much better job of limiting Shepard in the second half, but those early points gave Dallas the fighting chance it needed. And the second half is when Ogunbowale heated up, too.

Using challenge early: Fever coach Stephanie White opted to use her challenge on an out-of-bounds possession call with about three minutes remaining in the second quarter while the Fever were down by one. The challenge was inconclusive, technically, which means the call stands, and the Fever lost both a timeout and their challenge for the rest of the game. Burning the challenge early in the game meant that, in what had been an extremely close game, the Fever did not have a challenge for the entire second half.

Letting Jessica Shepard do her thing: Ironically enough, the only thing that stopped Jessica Shepard in the first half was a pair of free throws. She didn’t play in the Wings-Fever game last week because of injury, but quickly made her presence known in the rematch with 22 points in the first half on 10-of-11 shooting — including a 3-pointer that had a favorable bounce around the rim before dropping. Indiana did a much better job of limiting Shepard in the second half, but those early points gave Dallas the fighting chance it needed. And the second half is when Ogunbowale heated up, too.

Indiana could have clinched a playoff spot with a win, but that will need to wait another day. It was unlikely the Fever would have come out of this brutal road trip undefeated, and both Shepard and Ogunbowale found ways to easily exploit the Fever’s defense.

Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at chloe.peterson@indystar.com. Get IndyStar’s Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter. Subscribe to IndyStar TV: Fever for in-depth analysis, behind-the-scenes coverage and more.

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