League and finals MVP Diana Taurasi scored 26 points, Cappie Pondexter had 24, and Penny Taylor sank two crucial free throws with 37.7 seconds left as the Mercury held off a late rally to win the intense series 3-2.
Tammy Sutton-Brown scored 22 points, and Jessica Davenport had a career-high 18 for Indiana in its first finals appearance. Tamika Catchings added 16 points and nine rebounds for the Fever.
Indiana rallied from 10 down in the second half to tie it at 80 on Sutton-Brown's layup with 4:29 to play, then Tangela Smith made two 3-pointers, her only field goals of the night, to put the Mercury ahead for good.
Her second, after Jessica Davenport scored for Indiana, put Phoenix ahead 86-82 with 3:34 to go.
Pondexter's 9-footer made it 88-82 with 2:22 left, but the Fever - which had led the series 2-1 - wasn't finished. Davenport's inside basket cut it to 88-84, then Catchings' rebound basket made it 88-86 with 2:07 to play.
On the Mercury's next possession, Taylor drove to the basket and was fouled by Davenport. Her two free throws made it 90-86. Two free throws apiece DeWanna Bonner and Taurasi provided the final margin.
