Nothing has gone to plan for the Indiana Fever this season, and all of the emotions that have built up over a difficult three months came pouring out of coach Stephanie White on Sunday following her team’s historic comeback win over the Connecticut Sun.
After losing Sophie Cunningham to what appears to be a serious knee injury, the Fever rallied from 21 points down to force overtime. In the extra frame, All-Star guard Kelsey Mitchell took over and scored 10 of her career high-tying 38 points to lead the Fever to a much-needed 99-93 win. The 21-point comeback was not only the biggest in the WNBA this season, but the biggest in Fever franchise history.
Kelsey Mitchell ties career high, plays hero in overtime as Fever complete largest comeback in team history
Jack Maloney
In the locker room after the game, White addressed the team and praised her players for their resilience, both on Sunday and throughout the season, as tears streamed down her face.
Here is White’s emotional speech in full:
“I’m so f—ing proud of you. I’m so proud of you guys,” White said. “I know that sometimes it sounds like just a f—ing word when we talk about being resilient, but it’s not man, it’s how we live. It’s how y’all live and it’s a tribute to you, it’s a tribute to your connectedness, your togetherness, your toughness, your mindset, your never-give-up gritty attitudes. That’s what it takes. That’s what it takes. We will never, never be counted out, because that shit is worth it’s weight in gold. Because that shit is worth f—ing gold.
“[Kelsey Mitchell], god damn baby. You put us on your back. That was big time. [Brianna Turner], you are the consumate professional. We love you, we appreciate you. You were huge. [Aliyah Boston], point forward. Look, you can’t underestimate what it means to have somebody like her who just does whatever we ask. I mean, everybody, really. Lex, that was a huge f—ing three. [Natasha Howard], your activity all f—ing night long.
“That’s what it’s gonna take, that’s what it’s gonna take. We gotta play free, we gotta play with no pressure, but we f—ing fight. Live that resilience every f—ing day, and we will accomplish what we want to accomplish.”
Fever without Caitlin Clark for most of season
The Fever entered the season with championship expectations and scored a 35-point victory on opening day behind a triple-double from Caitlin Clark. Since then, however, little has gone right in Indianapolis.
- Clark has dealt with three different soft tissue injuries — left quad, left groin, right groin — that have limited her to 13 appearances. She hasn’t played since July 15 and does not have a return timeline with just weeks remaining in the schedule.
- DeWanna Bonner, their marquee free agent signing in the offseason, forced her way out of town after just nine games.
- Aari McDonald, who first joined the team on a hardship contract, and later signed for the remainder of the season after Bonner’s departure, broke her foot and was ruled out for the remainder of the season.
- Sydney Colson, who was supposed to be primarily a locker room presence, but had played real minutes due to Clark’s injury, suffered a torn ACL and was ruled out for the remainder of the season.
- Cunningham, whom they acquired for a first-round pick during the offseason, missed the beginning of the season due to an ankle injury and went down with what appeared to be a serious knee injury on Sunday. She will undergo an MRI on Monday to determine the severity of the injury.
With Clark in and out of the lineup, and numerous other injuries, the Fever have struggled to find any consistency. After Sunday’s win, they sit in seventh place at 19-16, a far cry from where they hoped to be at this stage of the season.
As their comeback showed, however, the Fever refuse to give up. If they can get Clark back before the playoffs, perhaps they can still make some noise this season.