BROOKLYN — Throughout the Indiana Fever's gauntlet of an opening schedule, Kelsey Mitchell broke out a mindset she hadn't used since high school, the one that comes with the AAU grind.

Indiana (2-9) started the season with 11 games in 20 days, becoming just the second team since 2007 to do so. It was the type of schedule the 28-year-old Mitchell hadn't experienced in 10 years. Still, she could unlock that mindset.

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"I put my mind in AAU mode real fast," Mitchell said. "Because, you know how it used to go, you played three games, four games in one day. Eight or nine over the course of two days or a weekend. I think, for me, just the mentality, I'm going to do right by my team, do right by my coaching staff as much as I possibly can. For me, it's all about aggression. If I'm aggressive in this league, it's the best chance I got."

Mitchell and NaLyssa Smith were the two bright spots in what was otherwise a sluggish loss for the Fever on Sunday night. Mitchell scored 21 points in the Fever's third game of the season against the WNBA runner-up New York Liberty, while Smith had 17 in the 104-68 loss. No one else from Indiana had more than seven points, including Caitlin Clark, who had a season-low three points.

Who can blame the Fever, though? In addition to playing every other day with two instances of back-to-backs on consecutive weekends, Indiana is also playing under the WNBA's brightest spotlight. More media members than ever have been attending Fever games to cover Clark and the Fever, and with that comes more scrutiny on social media.

"These guys are not just physically exhausted, they're mentally exhausted," coach Christie Sides said. "We talk a lot about it. Their mental health is really important, and they are really struggling right now. It's just been a lot different than anything we've ever experienced. And I just appreciate the fact that they keep showing up. You've shown up and putting the work in to get better."

Mitchell has seen it all. She joined the Fever in 2018 on the downwind of Tamika Catchings' tenure with the team, and has been with Indiana throughout multiple losing seasons and little coverage. This season, it's been a culture shock for her, as well as a lot of teammates, and they haven't had any time to decompress yet.

"We're definitely going to take time to kind of, like, reset," Mitchell said. "I think for us, like, the organization has been on a different light than it's been in the past. I think all of us collectively, personnel, everybody just needs a day. I think we just can use a day in our organization. Get back what we need, get back what we lost, and use it as a reset."

Now, after a month filled with training camp and 11 games, the Fever not only get a couple days to rest and reset, but they also have a chance to get back to the basics. Indiana will take at least Monday off entirely for players, and possibly Tuesday, as well.

"I'm tired," Smith said. "I just want to sleep in ... it's been a while."

It will allow those players with nagging injuries to get some rest, too. Mitchell, who missed most of training camp with an ankle injury, came into the postgame interview on Sunday night with ice on her ankle. Clark left the game after getting hit in the ear after a screen in the fourth quarter, and center Aliyah Boston tweaked her ankle falling over Liberty forward Leonie Fiebich.

Mitchell said throughout these 20 days, she feels like the Fever haven't had an actual practice. They've done work on off days, sure, but it's never been that full practice to introduce new schemes or get back to basics.

Now, they will finally get a couple days to get back to the basics, including transition defense and offensive schemes, before playing the Mystics in Washington on Friday.

"We're gonna be able to work on some things on both ends of the floor that we just haven't been able to," Sides said. "We've been able to show them some things on video, but we'll be able to get into our space and script more. All the things that we've put in along the way just to try and get stuff in our offense, we'll be able to actually work on it."

Follow IndyStar Fever Insider Chloe Peterson on X at @chloepeterson67.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana Fever get to rest, reset after WNBA killed them with schedule