Fever Star Calls Out Teammates After Loss Against Valkyries: ‘We Were Soft’ originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Golden State Valkyries stunned the Indiana Fever on Thursday night at Chase Center. The Fever entered the matchup as +12 favorites, only for the Valkyries to upset the odds and secure a huge 88-77 win over Caitlin Clark and Co.
Kelsey Mitchell was one of the Fever’s top performers in this one, as the two-time All-Star registered 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting, one rebound, two assists and one triple in 33 minutes of action.
After the game, Mitchell spoke honestly about what she felt was the deciding factor in Indiana’s tough loss. According to the veteran guard, it was a matter of Golden State just wanting ite more.
“Overall, it’s not about just Caitlin specifically,” Mitchell said of Caitlin Clark, who was held to 11 points on 3-of-14 shooting.
“I thought it was about our entire group. We were soft. We just weren’t … They made us pay by just being stronger, being tougher. 50-50 balls, deflections, getting the passing lanes.
“There’s just a piece of just being aggressive and having an ability to look at our best player and be like, ‘Nah, they’re going to be aggressive.’ And I think that we allowed it.
“We kind of tucked our tail a little bit tonight on the aggression side.”
The Fever took a 59-55 lead after three quarters of play. The Valkyries, however, stepped it up in a major way in the final frame, outscoring their opponents, 33-18, in the final 10 minutes of the game.
Mitchell wasn’t done with her tirade. The Fever star emphasized how she feels her team’s lack of aggression has been a big issue for them this season.
“I think that’s our downplay right now,” she continued. “We have to learn how to see wrongs from they is. That’s one thing. But be aggressive and stop being so soft. And I think that as a group, we just collectively allow too much.”
Post game #kelseymitchell on what went wrong in loss to Valkaries!
@IndianaFever pic.twitter.com/ENizic2PpH— Debbie Antonelli (@debbieantonelli) June 20, 2025
Mitchell sent her message loud and clear here, and it will be interesting to see how the Fever will respond to these choice words from one of their leaders.
Indiana will be back in action on Sunday in what will be their second matchup of their current three-game road trip. They will face off against the Las Vegas Aces, as they look to bounce back from Thursday’s disappointing loss.
Related: Indiana Fever Make Historic Announcement During Valkyries Game
Related: Indiana Fever React to Caitlin Clark’s Outfit for Valkyries Game
Related: Indiana Fever Assistant Issues Statement on Stephanie White’s Sudden Absence
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 20, 2025, where it first appeared.