Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White praised Aari McDonald for her recent displays in the absence of star guard Caitlin Clark.
After back-to-back defeats to the New York Liberty, Indiana responded with a gritty 80-70 victory over the Las Vegas Aces to improve to 13-12 this season.
It was McDonald who slammed the door shut on the Aces with a clutch three-pointer with just over 30 seconds remaining in the contest.
McDonald finished the match with nine points, two rebounds and four assists, with the 26-year-old impressing while Clark continues to watch on from the sidelines.
Clark has missed 13 games of the WNBA season so far, missing the last three matches with a lingering groin injury, with the Fever putting no timeline on her return.
But in those three consecutive matches that Clark has been absent from, McDonald has averaged eight points, two rebounds, five assists and two steals.
She is also registering 1.7 triples per game on 38.5% shooting clip, leaving White impressed after her recent run of form.
"She's putting in the work," White said. "She understands momentum. She understands timing. She understands the flow of the game.
"That was just a big shot, and she shot it with confidence. There was no hesitation, and that's what I wanted to see."
Kayla Mitchell led Indiana with 21 points, while Aliyah Boston and Natasha Howard both recorded double-doubles.
But they were forced to withstand A'ja Wilson's 20-point effort, with the seven-time All-Star also recording six rebounds, three steals, two assists, and a block.
Wilson's display saw her write herself into the WNBA history books as she tied recently retired Diana Taurasi for the most 20-point games over her first eight seasons (150).
