Fever roll past Nigeria, 105–57, to close preseason strong
Indiana finishes preseason 2–1 with another 100-point performance as starters see limited run and Monique Billings exits in the first half with an ankle injury.
The Fever dominated the Nigeria National Team from start to finish in a 105–57 win Saturday night, closing the preseason at 2–1. In both victories, they topped 100 points.
A crowd of 10,051 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse watched the final tune-up, exactly one week before Opening Day. Kelsey Mitchell led the way with 17 points, Damiris Dantas added 16, and rookie Raven Johnson grabbed a game-high seven rebounds.
Caitlin Clark had 12 points and four assists in 13 minutes.
Lexie Hull (hamstring) and rookie Justine Pissott (lower leg) remain out as a precaution.
All five starters played roughly 12 minutes. Starting forward Monique Billings exited with a right ankle injury but appeared to be OK, returning to the bench and moving around without issue.
The Fever shot 54% from the field and went 19-of-21 at the free-throw line, though they sent Nigeria to the stripe 34 times. Despite committing 18 turnovers, Indiana turned Nigeria’s 25 giveaways into 32 points.
It was 70–29 at halftime in a wire-to-wire win, with the Fever leading by as many as 49.
Nigeria went 0-for-12 from 3-point range, accounting for a 42-point disparity from beyond the arc.
In this postgame recap, I discuss Aliyah Boston and newcomer Ty Harris making their preseason debuts, Boston’s usage as a point-forward, head coach Stephanie White’s takeaways, Mitchell’s view of the team’s progress, and the latest on Billings.