The Indiana Fever are determined not to let outside influences affect their focus.
With a bevy of off-court issues threatening to seep into the team’s foundation, members of the Fever said those issues have been rebuffed.
The Fever (21-12) will have their next challenge against the Dallas Wings on Friday night in Indianapolis.
“Our locker room in there is tight,” Fever guard Sophie Cunningham said. “We have each other’s backs. … It’s really the outside noise that’s trying to distract us, but we’re good.”
Indiana’s 106-92 home victory against the New York Liberty on Tuesday gave the Fever back-to-back victories and their seventh triumph in a nine-game stretch. It also marked the team’s seventh time in nine games reaching the 100-point mark, thanks to a 16-for-25 night from 3-point land (64%).
Fever coach Stephanie White came under criticism for her perceived lack of support for Cunningham after a hard foul by Chicago’s DiJonai Carrington. White shot back at critics while appreciating how the team has responded.
“Winners focus on winning and that’s what they’re doing,” White said. “… I stand by them. I will always stand by them.”
The Wings (20-14) mark the Fever’s fourth opponent in a five-game stretch with at least 20 wins.
Dallas is coming off Wednesday night’s 94-88 victory against visiting Toronto. Paige Bueckers had all 22 of her points in the second half.
The Wings played without guard Azzi Fudd (knee) and forward Jessica Shepard (ankle), and their depth was further depleted when guard Aziaha James left with a leg injury.
“For us to close, (it) was about effort, energy, enthusiasm and competitive spirit,” Wings coach Jose Fernandez said.
All three players have been ruled out for the Indiana game.
“We’ll go to Indiana and figure out how many are healthy and go from there,” Fernandez said.
With her 28 points against the Liberty, Kelsey Mitchell has led the Fever in scoring in four straight games. Either Mitchell or Caitlin Clark has paced Indiana in scoring in 21 consecutive games.
“She just makes the game of basketball really pretty and really pure and it’s fun to be in the backcourt with her,” Clark said of Mitchell.
Mitchell (24.3 points per game) and Clark (21.7) rank second and third in the WNBA in scoring. Bueckers (20.2) is seventh.
The Wings and Fever haven’t met since Dallas won 107-104 in the season opener in Indianapolis, despite Mitchell’s 30 points. Arike Ogunbowale’s 22 points led three Dallas players reaching the 20-point level. Both teams shot above 50% from the field in that game.
–Field Level Media
