Indiana Fever overwhelm Dallas Wings in overtime as Kelsey Mitchell, NaLyssa Smith score 30 points

INDIANAPOLIS — One game after being eliminated from playoff contention, the Indiana Fever (12-25) took down the Dallas Wings (20-17), the team that eliminated them, 97-84, in Dallas on Sunday afternoon.

Both NaLyssa Smith and Kelsey Mitchell scored 30 points in the 13-point overtime win — tying the largest overtime victory in WNBA history.

"We always try to play good basketball every game, but today, we battled a lot of adversity and this showed our growth," Mitchell said. "Unfortunately for us, we're not in the playoffs, but that was a lot of growth for those last five minutes."

More: Indiana Fever eliminated from playoffs for seventh straight year with loss to Dallas Wings

Here are three observations from the Fever's historic victory:

Fever's overtime woes dispelled

Sunday's game was the third time the Fever have played in an overtime period this season — and the first they've won.

Indiana had its highest scoring output of the season (103 points) in a 108-103 loss to Chicago on June 6. The Fever's second overtime loss came against the New York Liberty, 96-87, on July 12.

In September, the Fever finally got their overtime victory.

"It's just growth and experience," coach Christie Sides said. "You know, we couldn't close those games out early. We just didn't have those kinds of minutes in us, we didn't know how to practice ... I went in the locker room today and told them they just kept making plays, they kept communicating."

Mitchell hit a 3-point shot with 7.7 seconds left in regulation to tie the score at 78, and Dallas could not take the lead with two attempts in the final seconds. The Fever had an 8-0 run to start the overtime period before Erica Wheeler was called for a technical foul. Bridging the end of regulation and start of OT, Dallas went over 4 minutes without a field goal.

While the Wings started to threaten late in overtime, Smith put an exclamation point on the Fever's win with an and-1 layup with 30 seconds left to give her a career-high 30 points.

"I just went out there and played levelheaded and just seeing my sweet spots, I saw how I can score," Smith said.

Kristy Wallace exits early

Starting guard Kristy Wallace's night was cut short, as she left in the first quarter with a knee injury and did not return. Wallace has become a mainstay in the starting lineup in the back half of the season, especially after Lexie Hull's shoulder injury. Hull has not played since Indiana's game against Washington on Aug. 18.

"I haven't talked to (the athletic trainer) yet," Sides said of Wallace's injury. "I just know he came to me and told me she was out for the game, but I'll get more information once we see a doctor back in Indy."

Wallace has been in a hot streak in the last week, making 10 3-point shots in the two games leading up to Sunday. She is averaging 20 minutes per game for the Fever, with 6.6 points and 2.2 rebounds.

The Australian played just 7 minutes, contributing two points and two rebounds.

Fever playing to win

Indiana was eliminated from playoff contention on Friday night with a loss to Dallas, but the Fever said they were still committed to winning as much as they can in their final four games. That showed on Sunday, as Sides played four starters (other than Wallace) for over 30 minutes.

Fever rookie Aliyah Boston, who has started every game this season and is nursing a right thumb injury, played nearly the entire game for 44 minutes and 42 seconds, with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

"If you didn't know any better, you wouldn't know she has a thumb injury," Sides said. "That's just who she is. She isn't going to let that affect her at all."

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Smith, who has missed time with a stress fracture in her foot, also came in at over 36 minutes. Mitchell, the Fever's most tenured starter, clocked in at over 41 minutes. Mitchell kept Indiana in the game at the end of regulation, knocking down a tying 3-pointer with 10 seconds left.

"I think everything that we've been through individually and as a group, we deserve to take this win and use it for whatever it's gonna be," Mitchell said. "I think for us, it was about making sure that everyone played well and played together. Going forward, that's the mentality we're gonna have."

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: WNBA: Mitchell, Smith score 30 points as Fever overwhelm Wings in overtime