DALLAS (AP) — Kelsey Mitchell scored 32 points, and the Indiana Fever held on without the injured Caitlin Clark, taking a 22-point lead in the first quarter before finishing off a 94-86 victory over the Dallas Wings on Friday night.
Clark's left groin injury spoiled what was supposed to be the first meeting of the past two No. 1 picks in the WNBA draft. The game was the first at the home of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks for the Wings, who took Paige Bueckers first overall this year.
Click to Gallery
Dallas Mavericks' Kyrie Irving, left, talks with Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban during the first half of a WNBA basketball game between the Dallas Wings and the Indiana Fever Friday, June 27, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Dallas Wings forward NaLyssa Smith, front, and Indiana Fever forward Natasha Howard, back, compete for the ball during the first half of a WNBA basketball game Friday, June 27, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Indiana Fever players, from left, Sydney Colson, Sophie Cunningham and Caitlin Clark react on the bench during the first half of a WNBA basketball game against the Dallas Wings Friday, June 27, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell (0) goes up for a basket against Dallas Wings center Li Yueru (28) during the first half of a WNBA basketball game Friday, June 27, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
The Wings, who are planning a move to downtown Dallas in the next couple of years, have played about 20 miles away on the campus of the University of Texas at Arlington since moving to the area nine years ago.
Bueckers sparked a rally by beating the first-half buzzer with a long 3-pointer after a steal and finished with 27 points despite a cold start from the field.
The Wings took a lead in the fourth quarter after trailing by 23 in the first half, but couldn't overcome 26% shooting in the first 10 minutes. Arike Ogunbowale scored 15 for Dallas.
Aliyah Boston scored 21 points and Natasha Howard had 15 points and 13 rebounds and three steals for the Fever, who made all 11 of their shots from inside the 3-point arc in the first quarter and shot 59% for the game.
The absence of Clark, who missed a second consecutive game after sitting out five earlier this season with a quadriceps injury, didn't keep the crowd or the pro sports stars away.
The 20,000-seat American Airlines Center was nearly full, and among the fans were nine-time All-Star Kyrie Irving of the Mavericks, star pass rusher Micah Parsons of the Dallas Cowboys and Cooper Flagg.
The 18-year-old Flagg was drafted No. 1 overall out of Duke by the Mavericks on Wednesday, a little more than two months after the Wings selected Bueckers. Flagg, who got a loud ovation when he was shown on the video board in the third quarter, was introduced to the Dallas media earlier Friday.
Cade Cunningham, a Dallas-area resident and the No. 1 overall choice by the Detroit Pistons four years ago, sat near Parsons.
Even with all the star power, there were plenty of Clark — and Fever — backers in the crowd, delighted by the quick start with the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year on the bench in street clothes.
The Wings took their only lead at 80-79 on JJ Quinerly's three-point play midway through the fourth quarter. Aari McDonald started a clinching 9-0 run for the Fever with a bucket that broke an 82-82 tie.
AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
Dallas Mavericks' Kyrie Irving, left, talks with Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban during the first half of a WNBA basketball game between the Dallas Wings and the Indiana Fever Friday, June 27, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Dallas Wings forward NaLyssa Smith, front, and Indiana Fever forward Natasha Howard, back, compete for the ball during the first half of a WNBA basketball game Friday, June 27, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Indiana Fever players, from left, Sydney Colson, Sophie Cunningham and Caitlin Clark react on the bench during the first half of a WNBA basketball game against the Dallas Wings Friday, June 27, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell (0) goes up for a basket against Dallas Wings center Li Yueru (28) during the first half of a WNBA basketball game Friday, June 27, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Iran's top judge hinted at fast trials and executions for those who were detained in nationwide protests against the country's theocracy, even as activists said Wednesday that the death toll rose to levels unseen in decades with at least 2,572 people killed so far.
Iran’s judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei made the comments about trials and executions in a video Tuesday, despite a warning from U.S. President Donald Trump that he would “take very strong action” if executions take place.
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said the number of dead climbed to at least 2,571 early Wednesday. The figure dwarfs the death toll from any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the chaos surrounding the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.
After Trump was informed on the number of deaths, he warned Iran's leaders that he was terminating any negotiations and would “act accordingly.”
Details of the crackdown began emerging Tuesday as Iranians made phone calls abroad for the first time in days after authorities severed communications countrywide when the protests broke out.
Here is the latest:
Major Middle East governments were discouraging the Trump administration from waging a war with Iran, fearing “unprecedented consequences” in the volatile region, an Arab Gulf diplomat said Wednesday.
The Cairo-based diplomat, who was given anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to the media, said major governments in the region including Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabai and Pakistan have been “in constant contact” with the U.S. administration over a potential American strike on Iran that could explode into a “full-blown war.”
Such a war will “certainly” have dire repercussions “not only on the Middle East but also on the global economy," he said.
Samy Magdy contributed from Cairo.
Iranian state television said Wednesday’s mass funeral in Tehran would include 300 bodies of security force members and civilians. The funeral is expected to take place at Tehran University under heavy security.
The Human Rights Activists News Agency, which is tracking the death toll, said more than 2,550 people have been killed, 2,403 protesters and 147 government-affiliated.
Twelve children were killed, along with nine civilians it said were not taking part in protests. More than 18,100 people have been detained, the group said.
Gauging the demonstrations and the death toll from abroad has grown more difficult and The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll given the communications being disrupted in the country.
Melanie Lidman contributed from Jerusalem.
Trump’s decision to impose a 25% tariff on countries that trade with Iran could impact India, an expert said, as New Delhi already faces existing 50% U.S. trade levies due its purchases of Russian oil.
Abhijit Mukhopadhyay, a senior economist at the Chintan Research Foundation in New Delhi, said the bigger risk is not India-Iran trade, but India’s access to the U.S. market as its exports to Iran are modest.
India mainly exports rice, tea, sugar, pharmaceuticals and electrical machinery to Iran, while importing dry fruits and chemical products. Textiles and garments, gems and jewelry and engineering goods are likely to be the most vulnerable sectors, he said.
Trump’s latest move also could affect India’s investments in Iran including the strategically important Chabahar port, which gives India a trade route to Afghanistan, Central Asia and Europe while bypassing Pakistan, Mukhopadhyay said.
Iran’s judiciary chief signals fast trials and executions for those detained in nationwide protests.
Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei made the comment in a video shared by Iranian state television on Wednesday.
He emphasized the need for swift action, saying delays would lessen the impact.
His remarks challenge Trump, who warned Iran about executions in an interview aired Tuesday.
Trump stated the U.S. would take strong action if Iran proceeded with executions. The situation highlights escalating tensions between the two countries over the handling of the protests.
Dozens of Pakistani students studying in Iran have returned home through a remote southwestern border crossing, a Pakistani immigration official said Wednesday.
Federal Investigation Agency spokesperson in Quetta city, Samina Raisani, said about 60 students crossed into Pakistan on Tuesday through Gabd border in Balochistan province with valid travel documents.
More students were expected to return through the same crossing later Wednesday, she said.
Mudassir Tipu, Pakistan’s ambassador to Iran, said Tuesday that Iranian universities had rescheduled exams and permitted international students to leave the country.
The satellite internet provider Starlink now offers free service in to people Iran who have access to the company's receivers, activists said Wednesday.
Mehdi Yahyanejad, a Los Angeles-based activist who helped get the units into Iran, told The Associated Press that the free service had started. Other activists also confirmed in messages online that the service was free.
Starlink has been the only way for Iranians to communicate with the outside world since authorities shut down the internet Thursday night as nationwide protests swelled and they began a bloody crackdown against demonstrators.
Starlink did not immediately acknowledge the decision.
This frame grab from videos taken between Jan. 9 and Jan. 11, 2026, and circulating on social media purportedly shows images from a morgue with dozens of bodies and mourners after crackdown on the outskirts of Iran's capital, in Kahrizak, Tehran Province. (UGC via AP)
