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WNBA Indiana Fever

Fever Down Mercury with Grit, Chemistry

August 16, 2024 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Indiana Fever News Release


The Indiana Fever resumed their pursuit of a spot in the WNBA Playoffs and a winning record on Friday as the second leg of their season commenced with a win against the Phoenix Mercury, 98-89. The Mercury, coming off a back-to-back in which they defeated the Chicago Sky on Thursday, 85-65, couldn't rally against the Fever to avoid the season sweep. For the first time since 2015, Indiana swept the season series with Phoenix, 3-0, despite the Mercury boasting three Olympic gold medalists.

The Fever celebrated their own Olympian's return home as Kristy Wallace came back from Paris after representing Australia all the way to a bronze medal.

"It was awesome," Wallace said of the Olympic Games. "It was such a cool experience, opportunity, and [I] did it with really good people and got a good result."

The rest of Indiana's team took a few days to rest, but didn't waste a minute away from the gym. After spending the first half of the season - 26 games - as the 11th-ranked defense in the league, the Fever had some ground to cover on the defensive side of the ball.

"They put in the work," coach Christie Sides said. "They knew we needed to work on that (defense), and they were really positive about it and worked really hard. We did do some things and got better over the break on the defensive end."

That work was evident in Friday's contest as the Fever held the Mercury to just 16 first quarter points, and continued to put together a stout defensive effort as they held Phoenix to just 32 percent shooting (11-34) in the first half.

"I feel like we've been itching to get back out on the court," Caitlin Clark said. "Especially over the course of the last week. It's like we've been ready for it, and now you've just got to come out and show the work that you've put in."

Defense wasn't the only focus for Indiana, however. The team did several chemistry building exercises and outings to foster connection and bonds in the locker room.

"My number one focus was just our team chemistry," Sides said of the Olympic break. "We hadn't had time to really focus on that...To spend some time with each other, and get to know each other and to watch them compete in things other than basketball, some of who they are kind of came out, like they got comfortable. So I think that that's so important when you're building a team with such young players."

Clark and Kelsey Mitchell showcased their chemistry by combining to score 57 of Indiana's 98 points. Clark added five rebounds and 10 assists to her 29 points, securing the WNBA's third 25 point and 10 assist game by a rookie - her second such game of the season. Most of Mitchell's 28 points came from her six 3-pointers as she shot 46% from long range.

"Basketball is a language," Mitchell said. "You've got to get on the same page with your counterparts. I think me and [Caitlin] like to play a certain way that's fast and up-tempo, and so I'm going to always align based on how she's playing and how the game is going."

In a game where they enjoyed a 28-point advantage, Indiana saw their lead dwindle to just 9 in the middle of the third quarter, and then found themselves down by one with 2:42 left in the third frame. They had to tap into grit to be able to weather the Mercury's storm of second half offense.

The Fever lost the third quarter 28-19, but put together a strong final frame to ensure they'd leave Gainbridge Fieldhouse as victors.

"Sometimes passion, having passion for the game, some moments can just spike your team up to go and play well," Mitchell said. "...The grit in the game in those third quarters and when teams make runs is how you win a game. You've got to be gritty. You've got to be able to get trenchy a little bit."

The Fever's grit led them to a hard-earned win on Friday as they improved their record to 12-15 ahead of Sunday's matchup with the Seattle Storm. They currently sit at seventh place in the league - solidly in the playoff hunt.

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