The Indiana Fever hosted the Washington Mystics on Sunday afternoon at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis in the 42nd regular-season game for both teams. This was a big game with playoff consequences on both sides. The Fever are chasing home-court advantage in the first round, while the Mystics are chasing a playoff spot. After a lopsided game that Washington won 93-77, the Fever have a lot of work to do on both sides of the ball.
The Fever entered the game on a three-game winning streak, with wins over the Chicago Sky (15-27), the Connecticut Sun (10-29) and the Toronto Tempo (11-30). Although all three wins came against weaker opponents, the Fever's next two games will present a formidable challenge, and the team will have to execute before the playoffs start.
The Fever got off to a bad start, trailing 34-19 after the first quarter while shooting 39% from the field and a paltry 19% from 3-point range. The Mystics held the Fever to 11 points on 2-of-17 shooting in the second quarter and took a 51-30 lead into halftime.
The Fever fought back to start the second half. All-Star guard Caitlin Clark scored 14 points in the third quarter, and the team put up 31 points to slow the Mystics' momentum. But Fever All-Star center Aliyah Boston got into foul trouble with 6:36 left in the third quarter, and Indiana went through a two-minute scoring drought without her on the floor to close the quarter. Both teams scored 16 points in the fourth quarter, and the Mystics walked away with the big-time win.
Clark led Indiana with 25 points, five assists, two rebounds and five turnovers while shooting 30% from the field, 30% from 3-point range and a perfect 10 of 10 from the free-throw line. Guard Kelsey Mitchell added 22 points on 40% shooting in 35 minutes.
The Fever finished the game shooting an inefficient 37% from the field and 21% from 3-point range, along with an efficient 90% from the free-throw line. The Mystics outrebounded Indiana 37-30, but the Fever committed three fewer turnovers, 13 to 16.
"I'm not sure we'll ever shoot it poorly the rest of the year like that," Clark said, according to ESPN. "We've had the best offense in the league all year. It just didn't feel like us."
The loss dropped Indiana to 27-15 and fifth place, behind the Atlanta Dream (TK), and pulled Washington (26-16) within a game of the Fever. For their final home game of the regular season, the Fever will host guard Olivia Miles and the Minnesota Lynx on Tuesday at 8 p.m.
"Every one of these games that we're playing right now are like playoff games," Fever coach Stephanie White said, according to ESPN. "We've got to understand collectively that everything has to take it up a notch. Intensity level. Preparation. Knowing personnel on our scouting report."
Danny Rivera is a freshman in the Sports Capital Journalism Program. He enjoys watching sports, going outside, playing basketball and listening to music in his free time.
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