Mitchell got the best of the rookie.
Indiana Fever React to Kelsey Mitchell Embarrassing Hailey Van Lith originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Kelsey Mitchell and a very shorthanded Indiana Fever team looked to end a two-game losing skid on Saturday as they hosted Hailey Van Lith and the Chicago Sky.
The Fever were missing all three of their point guards for Saturday's game, Caitlin Clark (groin), Aari McDonald (foot, out for season) and Sydney Colson (ACL, out for season). This led to coach Stephanie White inserting Sophie Cunningham into the starting lineup. The Sky, on the other hand, were missing Angel Reese.
And, once again, the Fever controlled most of the game, and Mitchell gave Van Lith a memory she will want to forget.
Mitchell Burns Van Lith For Easy Layup
In the final seconds of the third quarter, with the Fever leading Chicago 72-54, Mitchell took a pass from Cunningham at the logo and found herself in a one-on-one with Van Lith.
The former Ohio State guard dribbled right and, just beyond the 3-point line, used a hesitation move that froze Van Lith. Mitchell then blew past her for an easy layup, pushing the lead to 20.
The Fever reacted to the play with a social media post.
"Kelsey Mitchell had her defender frozen 😳," the Fever wrote on X.
Kelsey Mitchell had her defender frozen 😳 pic.twitter.com/UslhwrzJqx
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) August 10, 2025
Mitchell Has Been Big For Indiana With Clark Out
Clark has missed 20 games in total for Indiana during her second season in the WNBA, and Mitchell has stepped up in a big way during her absence.
In the nine games before facing Chicago, all of which Clark missed, Mitchell averaged 20.7 points on 43.4% shooting, 3.7 assists and 2.0 rebounds. This is a big improvement over her normal regular season averages (31 games) of 19.7 points on 45.2% shooting, 3.0 assists and 1.8 rebounds per game.
The next time Fever fans may get to see Clark will be on Tuesday when they host Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings.
Related: Chicago Sky Coach Has Strong Words For Aliyah Boston on Saturday
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Basketball
