Fever fall to Aces in OT in Game 5, end injury-marred season

The Indiana Fever’s season ended Tuesday night with a 107-98 overtime loss to the Las Vegas Aces in Game 5 of the WNBA semifinals, bringing a surprising and injury-marred run one win short of the league finals. The defeat concluded a campaign in which the Fever repeatedly overcame roster setbacks to advance deep into the postseason.

Indiana rallied from a nine-point fourth-quarter deficit to force overtime but ultimately could not complete the comeback. Odyssey Sims led the Fever with 27 points in the decisive game, and Lexie Hull, Natasha Howard, Aliyah Boston, Kelsey Mitchell and Shey Peddy also scored in double figures. The Aces prevailed late in overtime to close out the best-of-five series.

The Fever’s progress was notable given an extraordinary injury toll. Star guard Caitlin Clark’s season ended after just 13 games, and the team lost multiple other players for the year. Indiana filled roster gaps with midseason additions and hardship signings and still managed to finish the regular season with a strong closing stretch, posting a top net rating over the final 10 games. The club also claimed the Commissioners Cup earlier in the year and won a first-round playoff series...