Indiana Fever’s Newest Addition Makes Strong Statement After First Game originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
With Caitlin Clark still out due to a strained quad, the Indiana Fever took a three-game losing streak into Tuesday’s game against the Washington Mystics, needing to stop the bleeding.
Advertisement
They did just that with an 85-76 victory in their first game of Commissioner’s Cup play. Guard Kelsey Mitchell carried them offensively with 24 points, while guard Lexie Hull added 14 points, six rebounds and four assists.
They also got some help from newcomer Aari McDonald, whom they signed on Monday. She shot just 2-of-7 from the field on Tuesday, but she contributed five assists and three steals in 27 minutes off the bench.
Afterward, she talked about playing in her first WNBA game since last September.
“It felt good tonight to finally get back,” McDonal said. “The team, the players and the fans — they all were very welcoming to make sure I had everything to be successful tonight… When your number is called, you gotta be ready to deliver, and I felt like I did just that… Grateful we got the win.”
McDonald, a 5-foot-6 guard, was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 draft by the Atlanta Dream. She had been a big-time scorer in three years at Arizona, where she won the Pac-12 Player of the Year award in 2021.
Advertisement
After three years with the Dream, she was traded to the Los Angeles Sparks prior to last season. But after she didn’t make the Sparks’ final roster for this year, she was waived a few weeks ago.
LA Sparks guard Aari McDonald (15).Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
McDonald was signed under the WNBA’s emergency hardship exception, which allows a team to sign a player when their roster drops to below 10 eligible players. The Fever are not only without Clark but also guards Sophie Cunningham and Sydney Colson, and those injuries have left them very thin in the backcourt.
Tuesday’s win improved their record to 3-4. Clark, who suffered her injury roughly a week ago, is expected to miss about two weeks, possibly a little longer.
Advertisement
Related: Indiana Fever Had Words After Snapping Three-Game Losing Streak
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
