August 26, 2015 – Candace Parker recorded a near triple-double and Ana Dabovic scored 18 points plus the game-winner as the Sparks defeated the Fever.
Fever Let Lead Slip Away, Fall to Visiting Sparks
INDIANAPOLIS – Gary Kloppenburg, an Indiana assistant coach, mentioned something after Wednesday night’s difficult loss that resonated with Fever Head Coach Stephanie White.
“I think Klop said it best: It’s a humbling league,” White said. “It really is.”
The Fever learned that the hard way as they saw some positive streaks take a hit in an 81-79 defeat to the Los Angeles Sparks at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Their overall winning string ended at six games. Their home winning streak was snapped at eight.
The second-place Fever (17-10) dropped to 1 ½ games behind New York in the WNBA Eastern Conference.
PHOTO GALLERY: Fever 79, Sparks 81 »
Perhaps the Fever’s worst sin Wednesday night was allowing the visitors – who trailed by 12 in the first half after Indiana opened with a myriad of successful driving layups – to keep the game close in the second half.
“You let a team like that hang around, they’re going to gain the confidence,” said Fever guard Briann January.
The Fever, as White said, played “with energy but not necessarily focused energy.” The Indiana lead began to dissipate amid some hurtful turnovers – nine in the second half – along with missed boxouts and defensive assignments. And the Sparks, who had four starters in double-figure scoring, refused to wilt.
Also, Los Angeles’ Candace Parker started to heat up, scoring 11 in the second half to wind up with 15 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. One more assist and she would have collected only the sixth triple-double in WNBA regular-season history.
Los Angeles (11-17) took its first lead, 59-57, on a Crystal Bradford’s 3-pointer with 2 minutes left in the third quarter. The Sparks grabbed their biggest lead, 78-71, on Ana Dabovic’s trey with 4:52 remaining in the game.
However, with 28.9 seconds left, January buried a 3-pointer to tie it at 79. After a timeout, the Sparks’ Dabovic hit a 15-footer, making a nice shot with January in her face. Los Angeles led by two.
“That was really good defense, just better offense,” White said.
With 6.1 seconds remaining, the Fever had one possession to score. They called a play with three potential options: Getting the ball to Tamika Catchings, finding January on the perimeter or freeing somebody to drive to the bucket.
Parker blanketed Catchings, and January couldn’t get loose. Shavonte Zellous drove to the basket and was fouled with 1.9 seconds remaining. But she missed the free throws.
The Fever, whose slashing style led to 12 first-half layups, began settling for jumpers in the second half and field goals became harder to find.
Three Fever players scored in double figures, led by Shenise Johnson, who surpassed 1,000 points in her career with 16. Lynetta Kizer scored 12. Catchings had 10 points and 10 rebounds for the 95th double-double of her career.
Catchings also collected five steals to give her 1,002 for her career. That makes her the first WNBA player to hit 1,000.
Now the Fever hope to embark on a new winning streak when Atlanta visits the Fieldhouse on Friday night.
“We just have to lock in mentally,” Johnson said, looking ahead. “Physically, I think we’re giving it our all. I think our effort is there.”
August 26, 2015 – The Fever give their reactions to Wednesday’s 81-79 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks.
August 26, 2015 – Coach Stephanie White discusses the Fever’s 81-79 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks.
August 26, 2015 – The Indiana Fever honor women who are “Breaking Barriers in Sports” at Inspiring Women Night sponsored by Elements Financial.