Fever Put Resiliency, Urgency Into Gutsy Game 2 Win

Fever Put Resiliency, Urgency Into Gutsy Game 2 Win

By Madie Chandler | FeverBasketball.com

After being forced to find a resilient streak in the wake of several season-ending injuries, the Indiana Fever put their regular season lessons into postseason practice on Tuesday. Their 77-60 victory over Atlanta keeps Indiana’s season alive and tees up a decisive Game 3 in Atlanta on Thursday.

The Fever hosted the Atlanta Dream in the franchise’s first home playoff game since 2016 as the two clubs clashed in the second game of their best-of-three series. Atlanta came into the building with a 1-0 lead on the Fever after Indiana’s long-range attack stalled in Sunday’s Game 1, and led to a 80-68 Dream win.

The Fever returned to Indianapolis in a do-or-die situation. Win Game 2 and return to Atlanta for a decisive Game 3 or the season would end in Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

“We’re going to have to compete,” Kelsey Mitchell said following Sunday’s loss. “It’s going to be a gut check win if you want to win. You’re going to have to check your gut every possession. I think it’s just about who’s got it more? Who’s going to dig deeper? Who’s going to take the extra punch, the extra step, the extra 50/50 ball, the extra everything is important going into Tuesday.”

Indiana responded with a heightened sense of urgency – the Fever led by six points at the halftime break after holding Atlanta to 39.4 percent shooting. The Dream made just a single 3-pointer in the first half, and recorded no double-digit scorers.

 “There’s got to be a desperation that you play with,” coach Stephanie White said pregame. “And a sense of urgency that you play with at all times. We didn’t have that consistently for 40 minutes in Game 1. I expect us to have it here tonight.”

Indiana opened the game with the backs-against-the-wall attitude absent from Sunday’s showing, and kept it rolling into the second half.

After Indiana led by as many as 11 points in the first half, Atlanta stormed back within three points by the 6:24 mark of the third quarter. The Fever answered with a 10-2 run, and followed that with a deadly sequence to close the quarter.

Aliyah Boston sank a late-clock bucket before Shey Peddy swooped in for the inbounds steal. The ball found its way around the perimeter to Lexie Hull, who nailed a 3-pointer with just one second remaining on the clock. The Fever would go into the fourth quarter leading by 15 points.

“That was great for us. That seriously was,” Boston said postgame. “…I mean, the energy, everyone felt it. The crowd was going crazy, and we just used that momentum into the fourth.”

And Indiana didn’t look back. The Fever went on to take Game 2, 77-60, and led by as many as 24 points in the second half to force a Game 3 on Thursday.

“I felt good about the fact that we responded the way we were supposed to from game to game,” Mitchell said on Tuesday following the win. “…We came right off the bat and took care of business as far as where we lacked from the first game to the second game. That was a really big positive for us, and small victories are big for us.”

Mitchell led the Fever in scoring with 19 points. Boston and Natasha Howard each had massive impacts – Boston notched 15 points, five rebounds, and three assists while Howard recorded 12 points, five rebounds, and two assists. Rookie Makayla Timpson scored her first playoff points in the matchup, and finished the game with nine points off the Indiana bench.

The Fever’s small victories culminated in a huge win on Tuesday as the shorthanded squad continued to embody resiliency and belief all the way through the finish line. White praised her team’s effort in the margins, stressing their ability to finish plays on both sides of the ball while maintaining multiple levels of effort through each play.

The Fever seek to rally again in Atlanta on Thursday in a series-deciding Game 3 on the road.