Fever drop Game 3 vs. Aces, Las Vegas grabs WNBA semifinal series lead

After returning home to Gainbridge Fieldhouse with an excellent opportunity to regain control of the best-of-five WNBA semifinals series, No. 6 seed Indiana instead fell victim to numerous miscues and missed opportunities on offense on Friday night, which eventually resulted in No. 2 seed Las Vegas claiming Game 3, 84-72, and taking a pivotal 2-1 series advantage.

While the majority of the game was tightly contested, the Fever let several chances to capitalize on the energy of a Gainbridge Fieldhouse crowd of 16,507 slip away through unforced turnovers, missed shots, and an inability to take advantage of a poor shooting night from A'ja Wilson.

back at @GainbridgeFH for Game 4 on sunday. pic.twitter.com/ycXb6WhDVt

— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) September 27, 2025

Although Kelsey Mitchell led the team in scoring with 21 points, the team shot an ugly 19-for-50 from inside the arc, 7-for-23 from 3-point territory, and 13-for-21 at the free-throw line.

Even more disappointing for Indiana is that it wasted a terrific performance from Lexie Hull, who is dealing with well-documented back pain. Hull put her body on the line and secured her first career playoff double-double. In her 32 minutes played, Hull finished with 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting from the floor, 3-for-6 from 3-point territory to go along with 10 rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and one steal.

The Aces got their scoring from guard Jackie Young, who posted 25 points on 9-for-14 shooting from the floor along with former Indiana forward NaLyssa Smith adding 16 points of her own.

Wilson, the four-time and back-to-back league MVP, had another brutal shooting night until the latter stages of the fourth quarter after being defended by Indiana's Aliyah Boston. Wilson would end the night with 13 points on 6-for-20 shooting, but was bailed out by stellar performances from Young and Smith.

With the Fever now facing a 2-1 series deficit and a "must-win" Game 4 on Sunday, the team will need to refocus and play one of its best games of the season to extend the series back to Las Vegas for a decisive Game 5.

Tipoff for Sunday's Game 4 is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Fever drop Game 3 vs. Aces, Las Vegas grabs WNBA semifinal series lead