Late in the third quarter of their game against the Aces Tuesday, the Fever's hopes of advancing to the WNBA Finals suffered a devastating blow.
Indiana guard Kelsey Mitchell exited Game 5 of the league semifinals after appearing to sustain a leg injury. The Fever quickly ruled the Ohio State product out for the remainder of the contest.
Medical professionals briefly brought a stretcher onto the Michelob Ultra Arena floor with the intent of removing Mitchell, but she refused it and was helped off the court.
Mitchell, 29, has enjoyed a career year this season eight years into her Indiana tenure. Picking up the slack in the wake of a maelstrom of injuries—most notably to backcourt-mate Caitlin Clark—Mitchell averaged 20.2 points, 1.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game.
She then steered the Fever almost single-handedly through the playoffs, dropping 34 points against Las Vegas in the semifinal opener on Sept. 21.
The Aces lead Indiana 73–68 late in the fourth quarter as of publication.