On a night when the Indiana Fever had to fight for every possession against the Toronto Tempo, cameras also caught a concerning scene. Fans watching saw Lexie Hull sitting on the sidelines with medical staff, appearing to receive treatment, with blood clearly visible. Here’s what happened.
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Hull, who had played much of the first two quarters, was hit in the face with a particularly hard play from the Tempo, causing her nose to start bleeding. She was immediately sent to the bench, where she received quick attention from the athletic trainer. Thankfully, after having some cotton inserted into her nostrils and remaining on the bench for a few minutes, she was given the green light to get back onto the court.
“Fever guard Lexie Hull being treated on the bench by the athletic trainer for what appears to be a bloody nose,” Fever reporter Scott Agness posted on X.
Hull had been having a productive game too. Going into the halftime break, the forward had logged five points while making two shots, one of which was a three-pointer, and both were assisted by Aliyah Boston. She also had a rebound to go with her scoring.
This marks just the latest feat of durability for Hull, who has been a mainstay in the Fever’s rotation. She has started 37 of her 40 games, the highest number of appearances this season, tied with Kelsey Mitchell. Going into the Toronto game, Hull averaged 19.2 minutes per game, while adding 5.4 points per game, 3.1 rebounds, and 0.6 steals, being the lead perimeter defender in the Indiana starting lineup.
Unfortunately, even with her coming back, Indiana found it hard to put away the Tempo for good. Despite leading by as much as 16 in the second quarter, the Fever gave up their advantage. In one particular sequence, they allowed a 12-0 run to their opponent, who went 3-for-3 from the field and 4-for-5 from the charity stripe to go from a 53-38 lead with 2:19 to go to a narrow 53-50 at halftime.
Caitlin Clark, in particular, was not happy with the physical play from the Tempo and made it clear during her halftime interview upon being asked about the inconsistent whistle.
“All we need to stop fouling,” she said. “Whether they’re fouls or not, they’re probably not, but they’re gonna call them anyway, so we gotta get our hands out. Gotta get back in transition defense. I think our transition defense has been bad, and then we’ve probably given up at least 12 O-boards. So, clean up those, and we’ll be fine.”
While the Fever did face some foul trouble, their star offensive weapon, Kelsey Mitchell, made history twice in one night. Mitchell led both teams in scoring on the night at Coca-Cola Coliseum with 33 points, including seven three-pointers. The prolific scorer set the new record for the most points scored in a single season, with 1,034 after the Tempo game. She has surpassed the reigning MVP A’ja Wilson, who previously held the record with 1.021 in 2024. Mitchell now joins Wilson as only the second WNBA player ever to eclipse the 1,000-point mark in a single season.
Though the Fever and Lexie Hull eventually managed to close out the game 103-85, Hull’s injury served as a scary sequence for the team, who have just equalized the Atlanta Dream, who hold the #4 spot in the standings. Both teams now hold a record of 27-14, as the Fever face the Washington Mystics on September 20.