Kelsey Mitchell breaks WNBA single-season scoring record as Indiana Fever tie for Eastern Conference lead
Friday night's game between the Indiana Fever and the Toronto Tempo had a record within Mitchell's reach, and she settled it cleanly. Her 33-point performance pushed her season total to 1,034 points, clearing A'ja…
Key takeaways
- Kelsey Mitchell scored 33 points on Friday to reach 1,034 points for the season, breaking A'ja Wilson's 2024 single-season WNBA scoring record of 1,021.
- Indiana beat the Toronto Tempo 103-85, its eighth win in ten games, moving into a tie with the Atlanta Dream for first place in the Eastern Conference.
- Mitchell shot 12 for 17 from the field and 7 for 11 from three, and extended her WNBA-record streak of consecutive 20-point games to 25.
- The game marked Caitlin Clark's return from the FIBA World Cup, where she finished with 28 points, all 12 free throws, and a season-high-matching 14 assists.
- Toronto has gone 2-21 since a 9-9 start and has been eliminated from postseason contention, dropping five straight games.
Friday night's game between the Indiana Fever and the Toronto Tempo had a record within Mitchell's reach, and she settled it cleanly. Her 33-point performance pushed her season total to 1,034 points, clearing A'ja Wilson's 2024 mark of 1,021 and making Mitchell the WNBA's single-season scoring leader. Indiana won 103-85, its eighth win in ten games, and moved into a tie with the Atlanta Dream for first place in the Eastern Conference.
The efficiency behind the record is worth sitting with. Mitchell shot 12 for 17 from the field and 7 for 11 from three-point range, and extended her streak of consecutive 20-point games to 25, itself a WNBA record. Both marks now belong to Mitchell alone.
The game also served as Caitlin Clark's return from the women's FIBA World Cup in Germany, where the United States won the title. It was the first game for either team following a nearly three-week World Cup break. Clark finished with 28 points, made all 12 of her free-throw attempts, and matched her season high with 14 assists. She went 2 for 8 from three-point range. Clark reached 14 assists once before this season, in a home win over Toronto on June 16.
The record in context
Wilson set the previous mark in 2024 with the Las Vegas Aces, scoring 1,021 points. She was the reigning back-to-back WNBA MVP when she set it. Mitchell's 1,034 raises the mark, with games remaining in Indiana's regular season.
Toronto gave Indiana resistance early but could not sustain it. Laura Juskaite led the Tempo with 22 points, Kiki Rice added 18, and Isabelle Harrison and Temi Fagbenle each scored 16. The Tempo have now gone 2-21 since a 9-9 start to the franchise's inaugural season. They enter the final stretch without veteran guard Marina Mabrey, who the team said Wednesday will miss the final four games of the season because of a right adductor injury. Mabrey has not played since a home loss to Indiana on August 18.
What to watch
Indiana hosts the Washington Mystics on Sunday. The Fever hold a playoff spot and, after Friday's result, sit tied with the Atlanta Dream for the Eastern Conference lead. Toronto faces the New York Liberty next. The Tempo have been eliminated from postseason contention and have now dropped five consecutive games.
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