HE from Courtside: Fever make Sun's Home Fans Sick after Epic Choke. Sophie Cunningham Left Game Injured. Mitchell Makes Her MVP a Near Certainty.

Photo of Mitchell by Doug Bernacchi

Uncasville, CT - The Connecticut Sun suffered one of their most crushing defeats in recent memory, blowing a 21-point lead to the Indiana Fever in front of a divided crowd at Mohegan Sun Arena. What should have been a comfortable win turned into a nightmare, as the Fever, undermanned and plagued by injuries, stormed back and silenced the home fans with a stunning 99–93 overtime victory.

The Mohegan Sun Casino's stadium, awash in Caitlin Clark’s number 22 jerseys despite being a road game for Indiana. But with Clark not in the building due the passing of her boyfriend's grandmother, it was Kelsey Mitchell who stole the show. In a blaze of scoring, she unleashed 34 of her career-high–tying 38 points in the second half and overtime, turning frustration into fuel. HE sent this reporter to attend the game and it was so impressive of a performance.

The Sun dominated the first half, stifling Indiana on both ends and building what felt like an insurmountable cushion. Their offense was sharp, the defense locked in, and by the third quarter, Connecticut appeared poised to coast to victory. But the Fever refused to surrender. Sophie Cunningham exited early with a knee injury, Caitlin Clark out of action, and Indiana’s rotation thinned further. None of it mattered once Kelsey Mitchell caught fire.

The energy shifted in the Fever’s favor as the comeback unfolded late in the 4th Quarter, leaving Sun fans stunned and sickened by the home teams complete collapse. The CT insider reported that the Sun are out of playoff contention. (Source: https://www.ctinsider.com/sports/article/wnba-connecticut-sun-indiana-eliminate-playoffs-20821222.php?utm_source=chatgpt.com

It deserves repeating MVP leader, Mitchell, delivered one of the most dazzling individual performances of the season, scoring 34 of her 38 points after halftime. Each possession seemed to bend to her will, as she attacked the rim, buried threes, and hit mid-range jumpers that sliced into Connecticut’s lead. The comeback ignited the large contingent of Fever supporters in the arena, who rose to their feet with every basket, chanting “MVP” as Mitchell refused to let her team lose.

By the time the game reached overtime, momentum had completely swung to the Fever as the ball finally bounced their way, too. Connecticut’s offense sputtered under foul trouble and defensive lapses, and their once-cohesive play dissolved into hurried possessions. The former Stanford University star, Lexie Hull drilled a critical three-pointer in the extra frame, sealing the Fever’s improbable rally. The Sun, who only needed to close out what had been a commanding lead, instead watched their playoff hopes vanish in real time.

For Indiana, the win was a statement about resilience and belief.

Shorthanded and written off, they battled back behind Mitchell’s MVP performance, brilliance and clutch shooting to snatch a road win that will be remembered as one of the franchise’s great comebacks, and greatest come from behind of the 2025 WNBA season so far.

For Connecticut, despite impressive play from Marina Mabrey, a former Notre Dame start, who ended 27 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists it was a devastating choke that not only ended the night in heartbreak but also eliminated them from playoff contention, bringing an abrupt end to an eight-year streak of postseason appearances. In an impressive and news worthy moment Mabrey grabbed a towel and block my camera from seeing Cunningham on the floor when injured.