Indiana’s Caitlin Clark broke the WNBA rookie record for 3-pointers in a season, and teammate Kelsey Mitchell became the first Fever player to score 20-plus points in five straight games. It earned an 84-80 victory over Connecticut on Wednesday night in Indianapolis, ending the Fever’s 11-game losing streak to the Sun.

The Fever are now 15-16 after starting the season 1-8. Their 12-6 record since June 10 is the third-best mark in the WNBA over that span, trailing only New York and Minnesota.

Indiana is close to clinching its first playoff spot since 2016, when it finished 17-17. The WNBA switched to a 40-game season last year.

The Sun lost to Indiana for the first time since July 3, 2021 and are now 22-8.

“The maturity and the toughness that my players showed tonight was just unbelievable,” Fever coach Christie Sides said. “We’ve seen them grow up from where we started to where we are now. Connecticut is an unbelievable team. I’m so proud of these players.”

Mitchell, the No. 2 draft pick in 2018, had 23 points. She has scored 128 in her last five games as Indiana went 4-1.

Clark had 19 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds to become the first WNBA player to have six consecutive 15-5-5 games. It was her 10th straight game with at least 15 points and 5 assists, tying her with Phoenix’s Diana Taurasi (in 2010) for the longest such streak in league history.

Clark’s three 3-pointers gave her a season-high 88 in 31 games. Atlanta’s Rhyne Howard, the No. 1 overall pick and 2022 Rookie of the Year, previously held the record with 85, collecting them in 34 games.

Clark previously set the WNBA rookie season assist record. At Iowa, she made 548 3-pointers en route to 3,951 points, both NCAA Division I records.

“I think it just speaks to the way we attack,” Clark said of her 3-point success with the Fever. “Just fast, uptempo. I feel like I’m definitely able to shoot it a little bit better.”

Clark missed her last three attempts Wednesday on a shot that nearly went through the basket before spinning. She said she was disappointed with that shot, but overall she’s happy with her shot selection.

“I felt like I had it in me,” Clark said with a grin. “That made me a little mad. But I feel like I’m taking good shots, and that’s the biggest thing for this team.”

Clark’s on-court connection with fellow guard Mitchell has been particularly strong since WNBA play resumed after the Olympic break. The Fever’s franchise superstar is Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings, who was the 2011 WNBA MVP and led Indiana to the league title in 2012. But Mitchell’s streak of five 20-point games is something even Catchings hasn’t done.

“That’s really, really hard to do in this league,” Clark said of Mitchell. “She’s one of the most underrated players in my opinion. She’s been really consistent every night. She shows up, she executes … she’s always someone I can count on, and it’s been really fun to build our chemistry over the course of this season.”