Natasha Howard scored 21 points and Sophie Cunningham added a season-high 17 as the visiting Indiana Fever extended their winning streak to a season-high five games by holding on for a 78-74 victory over the Seattle Storm on Sunday.
Aliyah Boston amassed 16 points, 12 rebounds and three steals as the Fever (17-12) solidified their playoff credentials after winning the first two games of a four-game road trip. Indiana leading scorer Kelsey Mitchell was held to nine points, well below her 19.9 per-game average, on 3-of-16 shooting.
Indiana’s recent success has come without star guard Caitlin Clark, who has missed the past seven games with a groin injury and has missed 16 of the team’s 29 games this season with multiple ailments.
Aari McDonald, who has been starting for the Fever in place of Clark, scored nine points and handed out nine assists.
Nneka Ogwumike scored 16 points and Skylar Diggins added 13 as the Storm (16-13) lost for the third time in their past four games. Gabby Williams and Dominique Malonga each had 12 points for Seattle, which is on a three-game home losing streak.
The Fever appeared to be in control, leading 57-44 lead with 4:25 remaining in the third quarter after a jumper from Howard capped a 9-2 run. The Storm followed a timeout by closing the quarter on a 10-1 run to cut the deficit to 58-54.
Indiana found its stride again with an 8-2 run to open the fourth quarter and push the advantage back to 66-56 with 7:53 remaining.
The Storm made a late push with an 11-0 run to pull within 73-72 with 2:14 remaining after a three-point play from Diggins.
Trailing 75-72, Seattle missed four consecutive 3-point attempts that would have tied the game until Malonga scored as Seattle pulled within 75-74 with 12.2 seconds remaining. With another chance for the Storm to tie the game late, Williams missed a 3-pointer with 5.1 seconds remaining.
Indiana led by as many as 10 in the second quarter before taking a 42-34 lead into halftime. Howard led all scorers with 12 points in the first half.
–Field Level Media
