TORONTO (AP) — Upon entering the locker room after the game, Kelsey Mitchell was completely unaware that the post-game festivities were being held specifically in her honor.
The star guard put up 33 points on Friday evening, establishing a brand-new WNBA single-season scoring milestone during a dominant 103-85 win against the Toronto Tempo.
By sinking a shot from beyond the arc in the third period, Mitchell surpassed the previous mark of 1,021 points established by Las Vegas’s A’ja Wilson in 2024. Her season total has now climbed to 1,034 points.
As she stepped into the Fever’s dressing room and was showered with falling confetti, Mitchell initially assumed that head coach Stephanie White had achieved a new career landmark.
“But suddenly, the entire team began heading in my direction, and that’s when it clicked that the celebration was actually for me,” Mitchell explained.
Furthermore, Mitchell pushed her active WNBA record to 25 straight games with 20 or more points. She delivered an efficient performance, hitting 12 of her 17 field goal attempts, including a stellar 7-of-11 from long range.
“I feel like the public doesn’t fully grasp what she has accomplished this season and just how unbelievable her play has been,” teammate Caitlin Clark remarked regarding Mitchell. “In my view, it definitely deserves a lot more attention than it’s getting.”
Prior to the matchup, Mitchell was posting a 25-point scoring average. Currently, only Wilson, at 26.1 points per game, ranks higher in league scoring this season.
“She is performing on an entirely different plane right now, and watching it unfold has been truly remarkable,” White expressed when discussing Mitchell’s record-breaking year. “We must make sure we don’t undervalue the history-making performances we are seeing every night.”
Making her return after guiding Team USA to a gold medal at the FIBA Women’s World Cup, Clark delivered 28 points and tied her personal season best by dishing out 14 assists.
This marked the 10th game this season where Clark achieved at least 25 points alongside 10 or more assists, a total that already exceeds the lifetime career tallies of any other WNBA player in league history.
With the victory, Indiana rose to a 27-14 record with only three matchups left on the regular-season calendar, matching Atlanta’s record. Las Vegas, Atlanta, and Indiana remain locked in a tight race to lock down home-court advantage for the first round of the playoffs.
“Securing that home-court edge is our primary objective because of how crucial it is, particularly in a short three-game series,” Clark noted.
