Fever lose third point guard in 10 days to season-ending injury
Sophie Cunningham suffered a right knee injury and is now sidelined for the rest of the season, along with guards Sydney Colson and Aari McDonald.
Sophie Cunningham’s season is over.
The 6-foot-1 guard suffered a season-ending injury to her right knee early in the Indiana’s Fever’s 99-93 win in overtime at Connecticut on Sunday.
The team announced the news Tuesday afternoon on what was a recovery day for the team. They took Monday off and have four days between games, next set to host the Minnesota Lynx on Friday.
Cunningham underwent an MRI on Monday, which confirmed an MCL tear, a league source told Fieldhouse Files. As I said in my postgame video report, it appeared to be an injury to her MCL, not her ACL.
Less than two minutes into the second quarter, Sun guard Bria Hartley drove to the basket and Cunningham slid over to provide held defense. Hartley collided with Cunningham and it was a forceful impact. Cunningham immediately clutched below her right knee, went down on the count in an immense amount of pain.
This happened on the baseline right in front of the Sun bench. Several Sun players saw Cunningham in pain and held up Gatorade towels around her, shielding cameras from view.
“I felt like it was déjà vu,” Kelsey Mitchell said of the injuries after the win. She matched her career-high with 38 points, 34 scored in the second half and overtime. “I felt like I just saw AB (Aliyah Boston) on the ground covering somebody else up.”
The severity of the tear and whether surgery is needed is not immediately known.
“I'm like, ‘holy shit,’” head coach Stephanie White said.
It was here we go again.
“Especially the way that she fell and how she was holding herself and how much pain she was in,” White continued. “At the time, it's like ‘crap.’ And then you go down there and you see her and it's like, OK, just want her to calm down and be able to regroup.”
Cunningham suffering an injury is another gut-punch for this Fever team in a season that has been full of them. Several injuries in the first week of camp, a death in the family for coach Stephanie White, DeWanna Bonner wanting out so soon into the season, and All-Star guard Caitlin Clark missing all but 13 games so far.
This is the third season-ending injury for a Fever guard in 10 days. When including Clark, that’s their top four ball handlers.
August 7: Sydney Colson suffered a torn left ACL in the first quarter of their loss in Phoenix.
August 7: Aari McDonald suffered a broken right foot in the fourth quarter of their loss in Phoenix.
August 17: Cunningham suffered an MCL tear in her right knee in the second quarter of OT win in Connecticut.
“I think maybe that's how I survive is going straight to problem-solving,” White added.
Without Cunningham for most of the game on Sunday, her teammates rallied back from a 21-point hole to complete the largest comeback in franchise history.
Cunningham is a big-time competitor, the firecracker on the team who is the most vocal. It’s just her first year with the Fever after spending six seasons in Phoenix. She meshed well with this group — and produced.
She averaged 8.6 points and 3.5 rebounds per game while shooting a career-best 46.9% from the field, including 43.2% from distance. And this was after Cunningham, who started in 13 of 30 games, had the early part of the season disrupted by an ankle sprain.
When asked about the team’s resilience, White knew she’d get emotional.
“First and foremost, they're good human beings,” she began. “They're selfless, they're tough, they don't care who gets the credit, they don't care whose day it is. They got something inside of them that you just can't teach. And they bring it out of each other and it allows us to go through these incredibly tough times that we're going through and always gives us a chance.
“I'm just so incredibly proud of them for continuing to believe, for continuing to pull together, for continuing to step up. I mean, every single person on this roster impacts winning for us. And every single person on this roster is valued for how they impact winning, whether they play a second or not. They give and give and give to this team. And I'm thankful for this group.”
There are nine games left in the regular season and the Fever (19-16) are firmly in the playoff hunt, currently sixth in the standings. Eight teams qualify for the postseason.
All season long, the Fever break the huddle by shouting “together” — and that message is even more important now with another player out.
“We continue to be motivated,” said Aliyah Boston. “Every single time we step on that floor — at halftime, we're motivated. Chip away, chip away. And that's our mindset. And just continue to uplift people. When one person goes down, we say it all the time, the next woman stands up. That's really just been our motto and been what we've had to do a lot this season.”
Another Point Guard Signed
In a corresponding move, the Fever signed a new player to a 7-day hardship contract: 36-year-old guard Shey Peddy, who last played for the LA Sparks on June 29th.
Yes, it’s the Fever tapping into the Sparks pipeline for the third time this season. First Aari McDonald and then Odyssey Sims.
Peddy is a defensive-minded point guard who is 5-foot-7 and has 122 games of experience.
She was officially drafted by the Fever in the 2012 draft, taken 23rd overall, but the pick was acquired by Chicago Sky. Her first WNBA action didn't come until 2019, seven years later, when she joined the Washington Mystics.
Peddy, who will wear No. 5, will get several days of practice time in before the Fever return to action on Friday for the first of two in a row against the Lynx.
The Fever released guard Kyra Lambert after five days. She was signed to a 7-day hardship contract. Before releasing her, White played her for the final 4.6 seconds in their overtime win on Sunday — her WNBA debut.