Clark-less Fever top the Aces in WNBA semifinal shocker
Indiana made a statement on Sunday, upsetting Las Vegas to take Game 1 of the WNBA semifinals, plus Minnesota outlasts Phoenix and more news to know
Indiana upsets Las Vegas to open WNBA semifinals
The Fever shocked the Aces 89-73 to grab an early series lead. (David Becker/NBAE via Getty Images)
No. 6 Indiana’s underdog run continued on Sunday, as the unlikely WNBA contender took down No. 2 Las Vegas 89-73 to grab an early 1-0 lead in the best-of-five semifinal series.
Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell scored a game-high 34 points — the second-highest in franchise postseason history — as the Aces suffered their worst home playoff loss since 2021.
“They played with a greater sense of urgency,” Las Vegas head coach Becky Hammon said postgame. “We couldn’t catch up with their pace.” (Watch full highlights)
Big picture: Indiana is now the midst of a three-game winning streak, barreling through the postseason despite losing five players to season-ending injuries — including guard Caitlin Clark.
The Fever’s defense proved key in the win, holding newly minted WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson to just 16 points off six made shots.
“We wanted to come in and be the aggressor right away, to make sure that we were dictating on the defensive end, and we were dictating from a pace standpoint,” said Indiana head coach Stephanie White.
Up next: The Aces host the Fever again on Tuesday at 9:30 PM ET, live on ESPN.
Minnesota outlasts Phoenix to win semifinal Game 1
The Lynx overcame a halftime deficit to take Game 1 of their semifinal series against the Mercury. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
No. 1 Minnesota took care of business on Sunday, overcoming a halftime deficit to top No. 4 Phoenix 82-69 and open their semifinal series with a 1-0 lead.
Lynx guards Courtney Williams and Kayla McBride combined for 44 points in the win, as the home side outscored the Mercury 42-22 in the second half.
“We’ve been through a lot of adverse situations in the last two years together — we always know it’s a team effort,” McBride said. “We know in those moments when we need to brainstorm.” (Watch full highlights)
Big picture: After ousting 2024 champs New York on Friday, Phoenix failed to execute as confidently against the league’s top team in Minneapolis.
“They made adjustments, and I still think we had a lot of open shots,” Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas said. “I felt like it was similar to the last series, where we just didn’t hit open ones.”
Phoenix dominated the paint in the first half, but struggled from behind the arc throughout the game, hitting just three of 23 attempted three-pointers.
Up next: The Lynx host the Mercury again on Tuesday at 7:30 PM ET, live on ESPN.
Aces star A’ja Wilson wins historic fourth MVP award
Las Vegas forward A’ja Wilson received 51 first-place votes to earn her fourth MVP award. (David Becker/NBAE via Getty Images)
Las Vegas star A’ja Wilson is the 2025 WNBA MVP, the league announced Sunday, as the Aces forward picks up her fourth MVP award — a new WNBA record.
Wilson received 51 of the media panel’s 72 first-place votes, beating out fellow 2025 finalists Napheesa Collier (Minnesota), Alyssa Thomas (Phoenix), Allisha Gray (Atlanta), and Kelsey Mitchell (Indiana).
“These are the moments that I’m like, ‘No, this is why you wake up every morning and do what you do,’” Wilson said upon receiving the award.
Big picture: Named MVP in 2020, 2022, 2024, and now 2025, Wilson pulled ahead of three-time winners Sheryl Swoopes, Lauren Jackson, and Lisa Leslie, while joining Cynthia Cooper as the league’s second-ever back-to-back winner.
The 29-year-old led the league in average points (23.4) and blocks per game (2.3) this year, finishing second in rebounds per game (10.2) while playing much of the season’s second half out of position as the the Aces’ starting center. (See full stats)
“There’s no Mt. Rushmore,” Las Vegas head coach Becky Hammon told Wilson. “You are the only one — you’re Everest.”
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Kansas City Current lifts the NWSL Shield
The Current became the league’s fastest-ever Shield winners on Saturday. (Jay Biggerstaff/NWSL via Getty Images)
No. 1 Kansas City won the NWSL Shield on Saturday, taking down No. 6 Seattle 2-0 to lift the 2021 expansion club’s first-ever piece of league hardware.
“I thought that we won with a statement,” said Current manager Vlatko Andonovski. “We showed that throughout the season we were the best team in the league.” (Watch full highlights)
Big picture: With a 16-point advantage atop the NWSL standings, Kansas City is now the fastest Shield winner in history, clinching the No. 1 spot with five regular-season games remaining.
Kansas City hasn’t lost a match since May 2nd, racking up results without conceding an NWSL goal since June 14th.
“It’s just justification of all the work that we’ve done this year, and last year too,” added Andonovski.
Seattle Storm parts ways with coach Noelle Quinn
Noelle Quinn departs Seattle with a 101-97 overall record. (Sean D. Elliot/Getty Images)
The Seattle Storm is cleaning house, opting not to renew head coach Noelle Quinn’s contract following the team’s first-round playoffs exit on Thursday.
“On behalf of our organization, I would like to thank Noelle for her time with the Storm,” Storm GM Talisa Rhea said in Sunday’s announcement. “Her commitment to the ongoing success of our organization and to furthering the development of our players was second to none.”
Big picture: Winning the 2018 WNBA championship with Seattle as a player, Quinn returned as head coach in early 2021, after predecessor Dan Hughes stepped down due to health reasons.
She finishes her tenure with a 101-97 overall record, going 4-8 in the playoffs with one semifinal appearance in 2022.
The Storm finished the year as the No. 7 seed on a 23-21 record, falling to No. 2 Las Vegas to cap their 2025 postseason run.
UWCL sets league phase matchups
UEFA will introduce the UWCL’s first-ever league phase this season. (Kristian Skeie - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
This year’s UWCL league phase is set, as UEFA kicked off the newly expanded Champions League with the official 2025/26 draw and schedule over the weekend.
In the new format, a league phase replaces the traditional group stage, with each qualified club playing six matches — three home and three away — against two opponents in their designated pod.
Top fixtures include reigning champs Arsenal kicking off against French powerhouse OL Lyonnes while fellow heavy-hitter Barcelona faces Bayern Munich, WSL side Manchester United taking on newly fortified Paris Saint-Germain, and Chelsea capping the league phase against 2024/25 semifinal foe Barcelona. (See full draw)
Stay tuned: The first league phase matches kick off October 7th, with squads across Europe starting down the path towards next May’s final in Oslo, Norway.
Quote of the day
“Matt was a respected coach whose impact on the game was felt on both sides of the Atlantic… Our condolences are with his family, friends, and colleagues.”
The NWSL
posting to social media after longtime WSL manager and former Boston Breakers coach Matt Beard passed away unexpectedly on Saturday.