• Kelsey Mitchell scored a season-high 35 points in the Fever’s win over the Sky on Sunday.
• Kelsey Mitchell is third in the WNBA in scoring, in large part to her offseason training… doing defensive back drills on a football field.

CHICAGO – It was another signature Kelsey Mitchell performance: 35 points, six assists, three steals and a couple rebounds in the Indiana Fever’s 93-78 win over the Chicago Sky.

The veteran guard confidently hunted her shots with an efficiency that eluded her Thursday vs. Las Vegas (12-for-19 from the field, 7-for-10 from 3), and orchestrated a 15-point third-quarter takeover that included the first 10 points and stabilized the visitors as Chicago drew within a point midway through.

“I took what people gave me and played within the game, played within the schemes of the game based on what my coaches and teammates were looking for,” said Mitchell, whose 35-point performance was the fifth in franchise history. 

“I was just being myself. The hope is that my preparation is going to allow me to make certain shots and do certain things, so hopefully I can keep staying on that stretch.”

Mitchell did all this, by the way, despite taking her fair share of abuse from the opposing side. Besides prolific, Mitchell’s performance Sunday might also be described as “black-and-blue” — “gutsy,” even.

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The most noticeable incident came with about 2:40 left in the first half. Mitchell caught a pass along the baseline and collided with a Chicago defender as she went in for the shot. 

The defender was unfazed. 

Mitchell hit the hardwood in pain and immediately reached for her groin. She was slow to get up and couldn’t make it back on defense, hunching over in front of the Fever bench and motioning for a sub.

“It comes with the territory of trying to go in there against 6-7, 6-8 players. Maybe I should make some different decisions moving forward,” Mitchell quipped. 

“But I’m a competitor,” she continued. “You (let it) roll off your shoulders if you really want to play. It was a small hiccup, but I don’t think it’s anything that will hinder me going forward.”

Coach Stephanie White confirmed it was a contact injury and though there aren’t any concerns about Mitchell’s status currently — there certainly were in the moment.

“Protecting airborne shooters and making sure (they have) freedom of movement — all that stuff is important,” White said. “There are concerns about her recovery, but not as far as anything acute that I know of, but we haven’t really had that conversation.”

Despite the abuse, the bumps and the bruises, Mitchell appeared no worse for the wear, using Sunday’s contest to showcase why she’s so dangerous — and an area of her game she honed in on over the offseason: her footwork.

Mitchell described herself Friday as a footwork person, a speed-and-agility person. And with a trainer who’s also a “top-notch” football coach, the two designed a pre-preseason workout plan that included football drills that aligned with basketball.

“Go watch a football workout, I did the exact same thing,” she said.

Four or five days a week, the WNBA All-Star joined the football players for sessions geared toward defensive backs. 

They were catching footballs. She was catching basketballs, sharpening her ability to use her footwork to reach her spot, learning the best angles at which to attack and drilling on lateral movement (changing speed and direction). All skills that are as valuable in the defensive backfield as they are on the hardwood.

“I sucked. I was horrible,” Mitchell said. “But it was really about finding the footwork and finding the angles I needed, because I think it translates to basketball.”

The unique approach has paid off statistically for Mitchell.

Now in her seventh season, she is in the midst of a career year, averaging 19.6 points per game — third best in the league — with a 46% shooting percentage and a 36.2% 3-point percentage.

Sunday’s 35-point outburst was three off her career-high and her fourth consecutive game with 20-plus points (15th of the season). 

“With Kelsey, it’s making sure we’re putting her in positions to use her instincts and to do what she does best,” White said. “She’s been great and we want to keep putting her in those positions.” 

 Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen. Get IndyStar’s Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter.