WNBA Indiana Fever

Fever Fall in Overtime to Third-Place Washington, 95-88

Published on July 19, 2019 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Indiana Fever News Release


KEY STAT:

Elena Delle Donne hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 79 with 48.3 seconds left in regulation and a jumper with 6.9 seconds remaining to tie the game again and force overtime. Delle Donne's 28 points were her second-highest total of the season.

Neither team led by more than eight points in the game or more than six points in the second half. Seven of the 10 lead changes that occurred took place after halftime.

KEY RUN:

Indiana used an 8-2 spurt as part of a larger 13-5 run to take a 77-73 lead with 1:41 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Washington opened overtime on a 6-0 run that featured back-to-back baskets from Kristi Toliver. Toliver finished with six points in the overtime period.

INDIANA NOTES:

Erica Wheeler finished with a team-high 18 points and tied for the team lead with five assists. Her seven rebounds tied her career high.

Natalie Achonwa (16 points, 12 rebounds) posted her third double-double of the season and scored in double figures for the fourth time in five games. Achonwa went 6-of-6 from the free throw line and 5-of-9 from the field.

Achonwa's 12 rebounds were a season high. She becomes the first Fever player with at least three double-doubles in consecutive seasons since Erlana Larkins in 2013 and 2014.

Shenise Johnson set new season highs with 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting and five assists. Johnson's 13 points are her highest total since July 7, 2017 (15 points).

Tiffany Mitchell recorded the 100th steal of her WNBA career in the fourth quarter. Mitchell finished the game with 14 points and two steals.

The Fever won the rebounding battle 43-35. Indiana got 23 second-chance points from 12 offensive rebounds.

Nine of the Fever's 13 losses were two-possession games in the final minute of regulation. Indiana has gone to overtime with two of the top three teams in the league standings (Las Vegas and Washington).

The loss was Indiana's eighth straight loss to Washington overall and sixth in-a-row at home to the Mystics.

The Fever defeat was their fourth consecutive loss, and eighth in-a-row at Bankers Life Fieldhouse since winning their first two home games.

WASHINGTON NOTES:

Elena Delle Donne recorded her fourth double-double of the season with game-highs in points (28) and rebounds (15). It was Delle Donne's first full game since June 29th due to a facial injury.

Kristi Toliver (17 points, six assists) posted at least 10 points and four assists for the eight time in her last nine games.

Emma Meesseman scored 13 points on 6-of-11 shooting. Meesseman's finished with at least 12 points in all five games she's appeared in this season.

Ariel Atkins scored four of her 12 points in overtime. Atkins reached double figures for the fifth time in six games.

The Mystics snapped a three-game losing streak with the win. They have lost to the Fever once since the start of the 2016 season.

INDIANA QUOTES:

Head Coach Pokey Chatman

"We put ourselves in position to win early, middle and late - but we couldn't capitalize. We did a lot of the little things we needed to do, and we had good effort and made Washington work for their shots. It's going to take that same level of effort again in 48 hours against another good team [Chicago] that plays with pace."

"They're [Fever players] hurting in there right now. They gave it a great effort. We contested shots, we had hands in their faces. It's tough when you play hard against players who make great plays. Delle Donne made some great plays. She's savvy, she's good, she's long, she's a great athlete."

Erica Wheeler

"I felt good this week. It was the first time we've had a couple days to prepare for an opponent. We felt good tonight. I thought we played well. We all know when our defense is rolling, our offense rolls as well. Make no mistake, we fought our asses off tonight. [Elena] Delle Donne made shots off balance and [Kristi] Toliver made shots with Betnijah's [Laney] hand in her face. As a team, we played our ass off, we gave it all we had. You can't take anything away from us."

Natalie Achonwa

"I just think we had more fight than usual. I think that we were challenged by our coaches to play at a high level, play at a high energy. And we really let our defense lead our game today And I think that's why when got down into a close moment like that, why we had the extra little confidence was because we knew we put in the work during the game."

(On the key shots the Mystics hit in the overtime)

"Great players make great shots, especially in a time like that when you're in overtime, the game's on the line, you're going to need a little more. Everyone's going to have to give a little bit more. I think we fought hard today and we left it all on the court."

Shenise Johnson

"I thought we were all on the same page. We were on a string tonight. Defensively we made every shot tough. We had miscommunication the last 30 seconds and that doesn't lose the game for you, but you know it's definitely a big moment. And in clutch moments we have to find a way to not make those mistakes."

"It was clicking on all cylinders. We scouted them very well and I thought we were prepared. We had a hand in [Kristi] Toliver's face. She made some amazing shots. B [Betnijah Laney] was right up on her. She was in her butt all night, but great players make great plays. And that's what they did in overtime, both her and Elena Delle Donne."

WASHINGTON QUOTES:

Head Coach Mike Thibault

"I feel like we stole one, a little bit. But we didn't play well. I thought Indiana played well for long stretches. Put them on the free throw line, well, somebody did. We didn't do a great job of rebounding until the fourth quarter and the overtime. We have a stick-to-itiveness about our team. We have some great players that made some great shots. Kristi Toliver and Elena Delle Donne showed why they're All-Stars tonight."

Elena Delle Donne

"We obviously felt the big need to win on this one, coming off of losing three games. They played a great game, made it really tough for us to stay in front of them defensively. And luckily we were able to kind of catch our rhythm towards the end and come away with the win."

(On the first and second half)

"It's been a weird season for us. You know, different people in and out, injuries, Emma [Meesseman] going to Belgium, I mean her going overseas to play. So it was kind of tough getting in rhythm offensively, even defensively. So I think it's going to take a couple games playing into it."

Kristi Toliver

"We gutted it out in the end. Indiana played tough enough and hard enough to win the game. We weren't playing that great for 40 minutes, but we played well when it counted."

(On the difference between the first and second half)

"We got more comfortable. We got more aggressive. They were more aggressive team, the more physical team in the first half. We knew, especially being on the road, we couldn't let that happen."

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