Aliyah Boston’s fourth-quarter surge powers Fever past Mercury for third straight win

Aliyah Boston erupted for 17 of her 22 points in the fourth quarter and Aari McDonald delivered a career-high 27 as the Indiana Fever rallied past the Phoenix Mercury, 107-101, on Wednesday night in Indianapolis. The win marked Indiana’s third straight and came without star rookie Caitlin Clark, who missed her fifth consecutive game due to a groin injury.


Boston, who also grabbed 12 rebounds to record her fourth straight double-double - a career-best streak - had been quiet offensively through three quarters. But with Indiana trailing 77-76 early in the fourth, she took over, scoring her team’s first 14 points of the period, including 10 unanswered.



McDonald helped spark the comeback early, scoring 17 in the first half. Indiana shot 51.6 percent overall and went 11-of-24 from three-point range, capitalizing on Phoenix's 19 turnovers, which led to 25 Fever points.

Despite strong performances from Phoenix, including 32 points, 15 rebounds, and seven assists from Alyssa Thomas and 22 points from Kahleah Copper, the Mercury dropped their fourth game in five outings.

Phoenix led by as many as 12 in the first quarter and were up 30-20 entering the second. But the Fever turned the tide with a 35-20 second quarter, sparked by eight Mercury turnovers and five made threes.

McDonald was key in that turnaround, scoring seven points during a 12-0 Fever run that turned a 35-26 deficit into a 38-35 lead. She finished the half 6-of-7 from the field and a perfect 3-of-3 from beyond the arc.

Indiana held a 74-72 lead entering the fourth before Boston’s dominance sealed the win and lifted the Fever to a 15-12 record.