Aari McDonald has career night in Indiana Fever’s comeback win over Phoenix Mercury

The former Arizona Wildcat star continues to have one of the best years of her WNBA career

Aari McDonald scored double figures in each of the 93 games she played at Arizona. On Wednesday, she showed that scoring prowess for the Indiana Fever with her WNBA career-high 27 points.

Indiana needed the points badly. It fell behind the Phoenix Mercury by 12 points late in the first quarter. A 35-point second quarter had the hometown Fever leading by five at the half. They put up 33 in the fourth to walk out with a 107-101 victory.

McDonald’s 27 points came on a very efficient 7-for-11 night from the floor. She hit 3 of 4 from the 3-point line. She also showed her proficiency at the line, going 10 for 10 from the charity stripe. The former Wildcat star also contributed 4 assists and 2 steals.

It was a big night for the diminutive guard and her team as a whole. The 107 points were the most for the team in a regular season game this year, although they scored 108 in a preseason game back in May. It was their third triple-digit game in the 2025 regular season. The first came when they put up 102 against the New York Liberty in the Commissioner’s Cup championship game.

It also came against a tough foe. No one knew what to make of the Phoenix Mercury this year. There would be no Diana Taurasi in the lineup for the first time since 2004. Brittney Griner went to Atlanta in the offseason. For the first time in decades, the Mercury would rely on a younger roster.

Despite the offseason losses, the Mercury are making a mark this year. They went into the game with a 16-9 record, good for third in the WNBA and second in the Western Conference.

The Fever went into the year with a lot of momentum. They had Caitlin Clark, the biggest star in the WNBA. They signed DeWanna Bonner from the Connecticut Sun. They traded the Mercury for Sophie Cunningham. They brought in Natasha Howard and Brianna Turner to give Aliyah Boston some help in the frontcourt.

Things went sideways. Clark has been hurt most of the year. Bonner sat out several games for “personal reasons.” She was eventually waived by the team. Later, she went to Phoenix to join her wife, Alyssa Thomas. Turner is averaging just four minutes per game in 14 contests for the Fever this season.

McDonald had an unsettled start to the year. She had a great season in China this offseason, but she was waived in training camp by the Los Angeles Sparks. She joined the Fever on an emergency hardship contract in June, immediately making a big splash on the court and with the fanbase. When the Fever waived Bonner, they were able to bring McDonald back for the rest of the season.

McDonald is extremely happy with the franchise. It’s showing in her play.

She has appeared in 16 games and made nine starts while averaging a career high 25.6 minutes per game with Indiana. Her 9.6 points per game trail only her second year with Atlanta when she scored 11.1 ppg.

McDonald is doing it while also showing the best accuracy in her five-year career. Her 43.1 shooting percentage is the best. Despite her small stature, she’s good for a career high 55.9 percent of her 2-point shots. That outpaces the 48 percent accuracy she had last year in LA. Only her 3-point shooting has taken a drop. She started out hot from outside but has dropped to a career low 29.8 percent from outside.

McDonald is showing improvements in setting up her teammates and pressuring opponents. The 4.4 assists per game she’s averaging are a career best. She is grabbing 2.4 steals per game, narrowly trailing the 2.5 spg she had in 2022.

With the win, Indiana improved to 15-12 and extended its current winning streak to three straight games. That places them in sixth place in the WNBA and third in the Eastern Conference. The WNBA playoffs are seeded according to overall record rather than conference, so the sixth-seeded Fever would play the third-seeded Mercury in a three-game series if the playoffs started today.