FEVER "BIG 3" STARTS FAST, HOLDS OFF MERCURY TO GET 10TH WIN OF SEASON, STAY IN 8TH PLACE
By Deon Cash
The Indiana Fever used a blistering hot start and took advantage of a banged up Phoenix Mercury squad to get their 10th win of the season Friday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The trio of Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, and Aliyah Boston went off in the first half, as all three players scored in double figures to give the Fever a 55-35 lead at the half.
Clark set the Fever record for most assists in a quarter and had 15 points and 9 assists at half.
In the 2nd quarter Phoenix Mercury star C Britney Griner had taken a shot to her leg/ hip area and was out of the game before halftime. This has added to the growing list of injuries for the Mercury team who was thought of as a possible contender coming into the season.
But injuries to Natasha Cloud, Diana Taurasi, and now Griner have left the Mercury extremely short handed.
So much so, that Celeste Taylor, who was originally headed overseas after being waved by Indiana recently, was snatched up by the Mercury and was seeing serious playing time.
She actually ended up with a +10 in her time on the floor and helped the Mercury make a serious run in the 2nd half, led by All Star G-F Kalaeah Copper and sniper G-F Sophie Cunningham.
Copper was sensational in bring the Mercury back on a 29-4 run that cut the lead to 85-81.
From there NaLyssa Smith hit a crucial post bucket and Boston followed that with a elbow jump shot to give the Fever the breathing room it needed to survive. Mitchell hit the nail in the coffin corner three to end the game for all intents and purposes.
When asked about if this was their best game as a unit offensively, Clark responded with a wink and a smile.
"We want four quarters. Three is not enough."
With the win the Fever move to 10 wins, which is a huge step forward. It also keeps them in the 8 spot in the WNBA playoff race as we near the All-Star break.
Here are the GREAT, GOOD, BAD, & UGLY from game.
THE GREAT - "BIG 3" SHOWS OUT
The "Big 3" all dropped 20 points in a huge win and each was dominant at some point in the game..... Nalyssa Smith also contributed heavily and had a double double (14 & 10)... She was inserted back into the starting lineup after coming off the bench last game in a lackluster loss against Washington...The inside scoring was as good as it gets as they outscored Phoenix 60-28.
THE GOOD - Coach Sides re-inserted Nalyssa Smith into the lineup, which did wonders....Kelsey Mitchell banged a bevy of 3's after an off shooting night against Washington....The first half defense and energy was on point...Celeste Taylor, who was recently waived by the Fever, played well for the Mercury in her first game.
THE BAD - The Fever had no answer for Kalaeah Copper as the 2nd leading scorer in the WNBA did work all night....The Fever were outscored in the 4th quarter, which has become a trend as the teams looks to figure out how to close games...The Fever gave up 22 points on 16 turnovers.
THE UGLY - The 2nd half was bad, but the 4th quarter was brutal, as the team seemed to lose all the momentum from the 1st half and was outscored 28-14....For the Mercury, Britney Griner was knocked out of the game on a football style hit from her teammate.
NEXT GAME: AT MINNESOTA LYNX
The Fever will face the Minnesota Lynx (16-10) in Minneapolis today at 4pm ET.
The Lynx have cooled off since a hot start to the season, but still are a real threat for Conference supremacy this season.
