The Indiana Fever demonstrated that the best way to confront a bully is with composure and resilience. Facing the Connecticut Sun—a team that had previously overwhelmed them in early June, leading coach Christy Sides to bench most of her starters in the fourth quarter—the Fever absorbed their opponent's best shot and secured a hard-fought 84-80 victory on Wednesday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
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The Suns aimed to dominate early in a game that quickly became physical and occasionally chippy. Forward Nylssa Smith exited the game early in the first quarter after a blow to the face, while rookie Caitlin Clark was knocked to the ground multiple times from hard screens. Most loose balls resulted in scrambles for possession and frequent jump balls.
Before things got out of hand, Sides called a timeout to help her team stay focused, but veteran Kelsey Mitchell made sure her teammates stayed tough.
"I told everyone from the start that no matter what happened, we weren’t going to be pushed around—we would not be bullied," Mitchell said. "It was all about keeping our confidence. ... We know these teams are great, but we believe in ourselves too."
Beating the No. 2 team in the league, which has already secured a playoff spot, could give a huge boost to the surging Fever. At 15-16 and currently sitting seventh in the standings, the Fever are not shying away from playoff aspirations. Despite having just two players—Damiris Dantas and Temi Fagbenie—with postseason experience, the atmosphere at Gainbridge and the game’s intensity felt like a playoff matchup to the Fever.
Clark described Wednesday's game as one of the most physical she's ever played in, while Sides noted that the team’s ability to take tough hits and keep fighting demonstrated significant 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, so they’re going to make everything tough and be very physical, and you can’t let that rattle you.
"I noticed the game getting really chippy for a while, so I called a timeout to ensure we stayed composed. We couldn’t let that affect us—just needed to keep doing what we were doing."
Toughness doesn’t show up on a stat sheet, but Fagbenle’s grit was crucial for the Fever. Though she didn’t score, her +18 was the team’s best, and her presence disrupted the Suns' drives and helped her teammates with screens. She finished with three rebounds and one block, while Lexie Hull led with eight rebounds and Aliyah Boston and Smith each had six.
"If you’re wondering what won us the game—defensive rebounding," Sides said. "I couldn’t have said that before. We did an outstanding job, with five stops in the final two minutes and 50 seconds, holding them scoreless. That’s remarkable.
"This team’s commitment to defense and pride in their effort is making a real difference."