INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Fever will head into a month-long break on a sour note.

For the second time in a week, the Fever (11-15) dropped a game against the team with the WNBA’s worst record at the time. Wednesday, the Dallas Wings (6-19) put up their second-highest point total of the season in a 101-93 victory at the College Park Center in Arlington, Texas.

Seven days earlier, Indiana dropped an 89-84 decision at home against the Washington Mystics.

In between, the Fever had big wins against the Phoenix Mercury and Minnesota Lynx, but they will head into the Olympic break in a virtual tie with the Chicago Sky for the final two playoff spots.

“You can’t leave these opportunities on the table,” rookie guard Caitlin Clark said. “Right now we’re back and fourth between seventh and eighth place in this league, possibly dropping to ninth depending on how it goes from day to day. So every single game matters, and you don’t want to have to look back at the end of the year and be like, ‘Dang, we left some out there that we could have easily got.’

“So I think that’s the frustration part for me, but you just use it as motivation and you know you’re right there and you’re really close.”

Kelsey Mitchell tied Wednesday’s game on a 3-pointer with 2:22 remaining off Clark’s WNBA-record 19th assist, but Indiana didn’t score again.

Natasha Howard gave Dallas the lead with a pair of free throws at the 1:32 mark, and former Notre Dame star Arike Ogunbowale made an unbelievable shot just ahead of the shot clock expiring to push the Wings’ advantage to 97-93 with 45 seconds left.

Clark turned the ball over on the ensuing possession and slapped the bench in frustration after the Wings called timeout.

Dallas closed out the game with four straight free throws from Ogunbowale and Howard.

It was a heroic effort by Clark, despite the late miscue. She finished with 24 points to go along with her record assist total and added six rebounds while shooting 10-of-19 from the floor.

The big scoring night and strong shooting totals came despite a particularly cold night from the perimeter. Clark was just 2-for-9 from 3-point range.

“She has the ability in her vision to see things, and we’re just getting better and better as we play with her to be on the same page with her,” Fever head coach Christie Sides said. “I know she’s not hitting the shots that she wants to hit. She’s really down on herself about not making some shots that she would normally hit, but 19 assists is incredible. That’s incredible.”

The Fever shot just 6-of-25 from beyond the arc as a team, but it was the defense that was found most wanting.

Dallas shot 51.3% (39-of-76) overall and was 9-of-20 from long range.

Ogunbowale, Odyssey Sims and rookie Jacy Sheldon combined to hit eight 3-pointers in 17 attempts.

Ogunbowale and Sims finished with 24 points each, with Sims adding nine assists and Ogubowale contributing seven assists and three steals. Sheldon also was in double figures with 11 points.

Howard added 17 points, seven rebounds, eight assists, four steals and two blocks for Dallas, and Teaira McCowan had 10 points as all five starters scored in double digits. Kalani Brown also had 13 points off the bench on perfect 6-for-6 shooting from the floor.

“Offensively, we were able to get whatever we wanted all night it felt like,” Clark said. “It was just our defense. We gave up 28 points off turnovers, and I think 20 of those were in the first half. So that really kills you to start the game, and we’ve just gotta do a better job of taking care of the ball. Giving up 100-plus points is not gonna win many games. That’s just the reality of it.”

All-Star Aliyah Boston continued her strong play for Indiana, finishing with a career-high 28 points while adding eight rebounds, three assists and four blocks.

Fellow All-Star Mitchell also scored in double figures with 13 points, and forward NaLyssa Smith had a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.

Indiana trailed by as many as 16 points in the first half but took the lead briefly in the third quarter and trailed just 72-70 entering the fourth.

The Fever held their biggest lead at 82-76 after a steal and basket by Lexie Hull with 7:03 remaining. But Dallas erased it with a 6-0 run and regained the lead at 85-84 on a 3-pointer by Sheldon with 5:05 to play.

Boston scored in the paint to put Indiana back on top before Sheldon again connected from long-distance.

Boston answered with a pair of baskets sandwiched around a basket by Brown, and it was 90-90 with 3:06 to play.

Sims gave the Wings the lead again before Mitchell’s game-tying 3-pointer preceded the home team’s 8-0 run.

“We’ve won some pretty big games this month, and I think that shows that, one, we can compete with the top teams in the league, and I think it also shows that we have to be ready every single night,” Boston said. “… But I think, just looking into the remainder of the season, when we come back, we just have to be ready to compete because these are the last 14 games that we have and we are trying to make it back to the playoffs, and I think we are in a good position, but we just have to make sure that we’re able to capitalize on all these games.”

Clark, Boston and Mitchell will represent the Fever in Saturday’s All-Star Game, playing for Team WNBA against Team USA.

Indiana returns from the break Aug. 16 with a home game against the Mercury.

“Our goal is obviously to get back to the playoffs,” Clark said. “We haven’t been there since 2016, and right now we’re in a position to do that. So that’s exciting and that’s something to build off of, but at the same time we just know we can be so much better and that’s what we’re looking forward to.”