Another sellout, Caitlin Clark hits signature shot and Kelsey Mitchell challenges team: Recapping the Fever's loss to Sun | VIDEO
The Indiana Fever spent much of training camp working on playing fast and winning close games. They achieved one of them in their fourth game of the season, but lost 88-84 Monday to the Sun.
Another sellout crowd of 17,274 was on hand Monday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse to see the Indiana Fever.
One week after opening their season in Connecticut, the Fever were playing their fourth game — and already their second against one of the powers in the Eastern Conference. And yet this time, they had a much better result.
The Fever led 76-72 with four minutes left, then failed to close late in a 88-84 loss. Aliyah Boston missed a layup with 7.4 seconds left that would have tied the game.
“I thought they were gonna really try to take Kelsey (Mitchell) and Caitlin (Clark) away right there,” head coach Christie Sides said postgame. “Aliyah just made that same layup and I just thought ‘let's just go right back to her.’ She'll get a layup or a foul and we'll tie it up.
“It was a good look. She'll hit it next time.”
They are now 0-4 after a brutally difficult schedule to open the season — with all four games spotlighted on national TV. They play seven games in the first 11 days.
Before Monday’s game, Sides emphasized to the team how they’ve only been together for 22 days. Keep working, stay at it, be positive and stay the course.
The positive here was that it was their first loss by single digits. They are making steady progress, playing faster and together more comfortably. But they have to do a better job of defending without fouling. They were whistled for 24 fouls (to the Sun’s 13) which led to 30 free throw attempts.
And so the Fever were outscored at the foul line 24 to 12.
Clark tweaked her left ankle in the second quarter and did not finish the half. She started the second half, took a quarter to get comfortable on it again, and then assisted on three straight buckets to begin the fourth after having none in the first three quarters.
She even made a logo 3-pointer after a block by Boston and then a nice set-up pass from Erica Wheeler in transition. The Fieldhouse was as loud as it gets.
Clark added 17 points, three rebounds and five assists.
Mitchell, the veteran, delivered a pointed message to her teammates a few days ago — which she then repeated to the media postgame.
“I think a lot of times we come to the gym and we’re fighting teeth and nails, and blood, sweat and tears,” she said after finishing with 17 points. “We deserve to give ourselves some grace by responding and I think that those lows that we have after our bad starts to first and third quarters — I think it's a waste of time and I know that we can be better. So it's just about us holding ourselves accountable to the standard.”
Temi Fagbennle, who was a bright spot with 11 points and 10 rebounds in 23 minutes off the bench: “Like not being comfortable, like cruising. There ain't no time to cruise in this league. You cruise and you’re gonna get punched.”
Tuesday is a travel day for the Fever. And the WNBA’s new charter system is full-go for all teams now. After not chartering to New York over the weekend, they will take a private flight today en route to Seattle to begin a challenging stretch with three games in four days out west.
