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Indiana shows growth and toughness in win over Connecticut

Vaseline August 29, 2024

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Fever movement has proven that the best way to resist a bully is to remain calm and confront the energy of the tormentor.

Against the Connecticut Sun, a team the Fever struggled so much against in an early June loss that coach Christy Sides benched four of their five starters early in the fourth quarter, Indiana took the biggest hit, winning 84-80 on Wednesday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

The Suns tried to set the tone early in a physical game that often verged on chippy. Forward Nylssa Smith left the game early in the first quarter after taking a punch to the face. Rookie Caitlin Clark was down on the court after taking multiple hard screens. Nearly every loose ball led to a battle for possession and a jump ball.

Before the tension boiled over, Sides called a timeout to ensure her team kept a cool head. But the experienced Kelsey Mitchell didn’t let her teammates down.

“I told our group early on that I don’t care what happens in the game, getting picked on isn’t going to be the issue — we’re not going to get picked on today,” Mitchell said. “For us, it was about staying confident. … Don’t let anything happen to you. We know how great these teams are, but we also have confidence in ourselves.”

Eliminating the No. 2 team in the W, a team that has already secured a playoff spot, could be a big boost for the surging Fever. At 15-16 and currently seventh in the league, the Fever aren’t shying away from thoughts of postseason basketball. The Fever only have two players — Damiris Dantas and Temi Fagbenle — with postseason experience, but the atmosphere in Gainbridge and the intensity on the court felt like a playoff game for the home team.

Clark said Wednesday’s game was one of the most physical she’s ever played. Sides added that her team’s ability to take the hard knocks and keep fighting has shown tremendous growth since the start of the season.

“(It showed) maturity and toughness today,” Sides said. “(The Sun are) the best defensive team in the league, and they’re just going to make everything really tough and be really physical, and you can’t let that get to you.

“I thought the game got a bit heated there. I called a timeout to make sure we kept our composure. We didn’t need that to affect us. Just keep doing what we were doing.”

Toughness can’t be quantified on a stat sheet, but Fagbenle’s willingness to do the dirty work was key for the Fever. The veteran didn’t score a point, but her 18+/- was the best on the team. Her length impacted the Suns’ drives to the basket, and her willingness to set screens freed up her teammates on the perimeter. She finished with three rebounds and one blocked shot. Lexie Hull led Indiana with eight rebounds. Aliyah Boston and Smith each had six rebounds.

“If you want to ask what won this game — defensive rebounding. I couldn’t have said that before,” Sides said. “We did a great job. We had five stops to end the game in the last two minutes and 50 seconds. They didn’t score. It’s unbelievable.

“That’s a great team. Just the way they’ve hung in there and taken pride in that end of the floor makes a difference for us.”