INDIANAPOLIS – Stephanie White, now the coach of the Indiana Fever, knows well how to face her team. Last season, as coach of the Connecticut Sun, she achieved an impressive 5-1 record against the Fever, including a 2-0 sweep in the playoff series.
Now, from the Fever’s bench this WNBA season, White is aware of the strategies rival teams will employ against Indiana. The Atlanta Dream demonstrated this tactic on Tuesday, achieving a 91-90 victory at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
We are not managing their aggressiveness. That will be the strategy against us throughout the year.
Stephanie White
White emphasized that the teams will look for roughness, pushing and fouls, taking advantage of any opportunity. The Fever’s goal is to learn to use that same aggressiveness to their advantage.
The Dream, with their new coach Karl Smesko, reinforced their roster with two veteran players at the center position, who performed well on Tuesday. Brittney Griner scored 21 points and grabbed 8 rebounds, while Brionna Jones contributed 19 points and 13 rebounds.
This was a strong comeback for Atlanta, who had started the season with a 94-90 loss to Washington last Friday.
The next matchup between the Dream and the Fever is scheduled for Thursday in Atlanta. The game has been moved to State Farm Arena, which can accommodate nearly 17,000 spectators, to accommodate the large fanbase that Fever star Caitlin Clark attracts. The Dream usually plays its home games at Gateway Center Arena, which has a capacity of approximately 3,500.
Clark, after a season debut with a triple-double in the Fever’s victory over Chicago on Saturday, had another outstanding performance on Tuesday: 27 points, 11 assists, and 5 rebounds. Aliyah Boston (24 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists) and Kelsey Mitchell (24 points) also shone.
However, the Fever faltered at the free throw line, going just 16 of 26 from the stripe, while Atlanta went 25 of 32.
Today we failed miserably as a group because there were certain things established to be effective from the first quarter to the fourth.
Kelsey Mitchell
Mitchell pointed out the importance of discipline, awareness, and staff knowledge to achieve success. Despite losing a large part of the game, the Fever reacted in the final quarter, outscoring Atlanta 25-15.
With 21.1 seconds remaining, Indiana took the lead for the first time since the start of the game, thanks to a free throw by Boston, leaving the score at 90-89.
However, Rhyne Howard, who finished with 20 points, was fouled and made both free throws for Atlanta.
Indiana had a chance to win with the ball possession and 9.1 seconds on the clock. But a shot by Natasha Howard was blocked and then missed on the rebound.
Clark highlighted that these situations are growth opportunities for the Fever.
We wanted to win this game, but this is great for our team. A little adversity, how are we going to respond? I have to give a lot of credit to my teammates; we never gave up. We found a way to come back.
Caitlin Clark
The next meeting offers the possibility of a rematch for the Fever.
