The Indiana Fever opened the season with a 107-104 loss against the Dallas Wings. Despite reaching triple digits in scoring, they could not consistently get enough stops when the game tightened late.
Caitlin Clark did what she does best, finishing with 20 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists. Kelsey Mitchell paced the Fever with 30 points. But Sophie Cunningham’s offensive presence was lacking. She ended the game with just 3 points. Fever coach Stephanie White expects to see more of her in the action up front.
“I thought she was good. Sophie’s solid for us on the defensive end, rebounding, her activity level, her communication. We’ve got to find her more, though,” she said. “She’s a knockdown three-point shooter. I thought we missed her a lot. We missed her open looks.”
“She’s getting back to being an elite cutter, because she’s also a very good cutter. And she’s a great ball mover. So we’ve just got to get her more touches on the offensive end and just continue to rely on her to be that communicator and leader for us on the floor.”
When Clark and Mitchell are forcing defenses to collapse, Indiana needs a third perimeter threat who can make the next pass, hit open threes and keep possessions flowing. Cunningham fits that mold.
She averaged 8.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists last season, playing 30 games. She has primarily stayed back on attacks, but White wants her to take a more active role this season.
Stephanie White’s Plans for Lexie Hull After Return from Injury
GettyLexie Hull returns to active play after injury.
Lexie Hull returned to action on Saturday after missing out on all of three pre-season games due to hamstring tightness. The team is taking a cautious approach. She was allowed time on the court, but it was restricted. She is a critical part of the defense and Coach White is not willing to lose her to the bench by putting more pressure this early in the season.
“I think it was 10 to 15 or something that Lexie had. So we don’t want to push it. We want to make sure that we’re ready and healthy,” she said. “As our players get back, I think we have four or five players on minutes restrictions. So as we start to get back and really solidify our rotations, it’ll be helpful.”
Hull was a steady two-way piece for Indiana last season, setting career highs with 7.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 44 games, including 30 starts and the Fever rewarded that production with a two-year, $1,56 million extension this offseason.
Stephanie White’s Plan for the Upcoming Road Game at Los Angeles
GettyHead coach Stephanie White reacts to in-game play.
Up next, Indiana plays the Los Angeles Sparks, who themselves are coming off a loss at the hands of the Las Vegas Aces.
“We want to clean up some of the things that we had breakdown-wise on the defensive end against Dallas, and we’ll look to clean it up against L.A,” White informed.
The defensive issues from the opener have to be corrected quickly.
“We still got to be better in terms of our ball movement and player movement,” the Fever coach added. “We’ve got to be willing passers, reverse the ball, get multiple touches on the floor, get some paint touches. We’re still pretty much in our infancy level in terms of playing together.”
Fever Coach Stephanie White Reveals Plans for Sophie Cunningham this Season