The Indiana Fever keep finding themselves in the same uncomfortable position: building sizable leads, only to watch them evaporate when the game matters most. Their 114–106 overtime victory over the Chicago Sky on the 11th June was the most recent example. 

It was another game where a double-digit advantage disappeared down the stretch before they were forced to dig deep and recover in the extra period to salvage the win. And veteran guard Kelsey Mitchell found herself at the center of that particular collapse. A late turnover on an inbounds play handed Chicago the opening it needed, setting the stage for Skylar Diggins to drain a game-tying three-pointer and erase what should have been an insurmountable advantage. Mitchell, in fact, did own that mistake entirely.

“I’ve had some bonehead mistakes I don’t like for myself,” she said, speaking in an interview before the team’s practice on Monday. “I think I dropped the ball to make it 98-98 against the Sky, so you don’t want to have those.

“You don’t want to be that person that’s not doing what they need to do. You gotta be sharp. So I think mentally I just want to be a little sharper. I want to finish on my layups,” she added 

.

Mitchell did finish that game with 19 points and three assists, but it was far from her best performance. Because beyond that critical turnover, she also missed a free throw in overtime. And maybe that could have been costly if Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston did not shoulder the scoring load to finish with 30-plus points each to eventually see the Fever through.

But Mitchell’s mistakes were really just part of a problem that has followed the Fever all season. Two games earlier, they blew a 12-point lead against the Liberty and ended up losing 83-75. Even in the 78-76 win over the Mystics between those games, Indiana nearly squandered a 17-point advantage before Clark knocked down a clutch three-pointer to seal the result.

At this point, late-game struggles have become a recurring issue for the Fever, regardless of how well their stars play, and Mitchell knows that.

“I think for us it’s about finding ways to really not let it happen. But also being able to withstand runs when people make them. Because that’s just a part of life and a part of the game. But I think ultimately you want to just be a little bit more disciplined to keep people out of it,” she said.

There were some positive signs in their most recent game against the Connecticut Sun. Instead of letting another late lead slip away, the Fever pulled away in the fourth quarter. They outscored Connecticut 22-15 in the final frame to secure an 85-75 victory. Mitchell scored 19 points in the game. 

Indiana will now look to carry that momentum into its matchup against the Toronto Tempo. A win would extend the Fever’s winning streak to four games and show that the team is making progress in an area that has troubled it for much of the season.

Kelsey Mitchell Pinpoints Discipline Issue Behind Fever’s Costly Late-Game Trends

Generally, across the WNBA this season, fouls have increased compared to what the league saw in 2025. Of course, the officiating changes the league introduced before the season have fueled much of that increase. However, regardless of the broader league-wide trend, the Fever appear to be one of the teams most affected by the rise in fouls this season.

That was something Mitchell also pointed out. For the veteran guard, aside from the team occasionally getting a little too comfortable during games, one of the biggest reasons the Fever have repeatedly allowed opponents back into contests is their tendency to foul. In her view, many of those close finishes might have looked very different had Indiana done a better job of keeping opponents off the free-throw line.

“I think a lot of it gets a little comfortable, but I think, like I said, discipline. And I think not fouling people to the line. I think that’s big for us is not fouling,” Mitchell said while speaking before Fever practice on Monday. “I think that’s one of our Achilles heels right now.

“That’s just kind of keeping people back in the game because we foul a lot, and I think if you take it out, we give ourselves better chances to really take off on people.”

No team has been hit harder by this issue than the Indiana Fever, who currently lead the WNBA with an average of 23.9 personal fouls per game. And those heavy whistles have cost them on multiple occasions throughout the season. For example, in the loss to the New York Liberty, where Indiana blew a 12-point lead, the Fever committed 27 personal fouls. Even in the overtime victory against the Chicago Sky, they still racked up 25 total fouls over the course of the game.

The fouling, however, did improve in Indiana’s most recent game against the Connecticut Sun, where the Fever committed only 16 personal fouls. Whether that proves to be the start of a trend remains to be seen as the season continues.