Entering as an underdog in the series, No. 6 seed Indiana dominated No. 2 seed Las Vegas with an impressive 89-73 victory on Sunday afternoon. The stunning Game 1 win took place during the best-of-five WNBA semifinals series at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Similar to its first-round series against No. 3 seed Atlanta, most sports outlets heavily favored the Aces. This was due not only to Indiana coping with five season-ending injuries but also because Las Vegas entered the opening game having won 17 of its last 18 contests. Furthermore, the Aces boast one of the most dominant players in the league, A’ja Wilson. However, none of these factors stopped Indiana from rolling past Las Vegas in front of a sold-out Aces crowd to take a 1-0 series advantage.

Leading the way offensively was Kelsey Mitchell, who put on a spectacular performance by scoring 34 points. She shot 12-for-23 from the field, 4-for-6 from beyond the arc, and was perfect from the free-throw line, hitting all 6 of her attempts. Following Mitchell in scoring were Odyssey Sims with 17 points and Natasha Howard with 12.

A key contributor to the Fever’s win was their dominance on the boards. Both Natasha Howard and Aliyah Boston secured 11 rebounds each, accounting for 22 of the team’s 35 total rebounds. Additionally, Indiana’s aggressive tactic of driving towards A’ja Wilson paid off. By forcing the back-to-back WNBA MVP into foul trouble, Wilson picked up four fouls by the late portions of the third quarter, which limited her effectiveness. The Fever held the Aces’ go-to scorer to just 16 points.

With this crucial Game 1 victory secured, Indiana now gains “home-court advantage” from Las Vegas. The Fever are guaranteed at least two home games in front of a raucous Gainbridge Fieldhouse crowd.

Game 2 of the series is set for Tuesday, Sept. 23, at Michelob ULTRA Arena, with a tip-off time of 8:30 p.m. CT.
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