Indiana (9-8) vs. New York (12-5)
Date: Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Site: Bankers Life Fieldhouse (Indianapolis, Ind.)
Radio: 107.5/1070 The Fan
Television: None
Webcast: Live webcast and stats can be accessed via WNBA Live Access on FeverBasketball.com. (Webcasts during games televised on FOX Sports Indiana may not be available in local market areas due to blackout restrictions.)
Storylines & Promotion
- After playing game one of a back-to-back last night, Indiana (9-8) plays the second tonight at Bankers Life Fieldhouse against the Eastern Conference’s first place New York Liberty (12-5). With the overtime win in Connecticut, Indiana leap-frogged past the Sun into fourth place in the East standings.
- The Fever snapped a two-game losing slide while beating the Sun on the road for the second time this season.
- Tamika Catchings and Shavonte Zellous guided the Fever into their first overtime contest of the season, snapping the Sun’s unbeaten streak of three overtime wins. The Sun, after starting the year 7-1, have lost seven of the past eight including two to Indiana.
- Catchings canned her game-winner in overtime as she entered the lane and knocked down an 8-foot jumper for the 6,735th point of her career. Three days ago, Catchings became the WNBA’s career scoring leader in All-Star history. Tonight, just 38 seconds into the contest, she passed Diana Taurasi as the WNBA’s second-leading regular season scorer as her 3-pointer helped Indiana streak to an early 11-0 advantage.
- Already the league’s career leader in steals and free throws, Catchings had 15 points and also finished with eight rebounds to pull within 33 of passing Tina Thompson as the league’s No. 2 all-time rebounder.
- Shenise Johnson has scored in double figures in six of her last seven appearances, averaging 12.4 points per game and shooting 45.6 percent from the field over that span. She played in her first game last night since July 10 due to a sprained ankle.
- Rookie Natalie Achonwa netted eight points in her return from the Pan Am Games where she helped her native Canada to a gold medal.
- Indiana matched a season high with 13 offensive rebounds, leading to 21 second-chance points compared to just four by Connecticut.
- New York won its third consecutive game on the road to secure sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference heading into the All-Star break.
- Catchings became the first WNBA player to appear in 10 All Star Games while Marissa Coleman made her first All Star appearance as the pair represented the Fever as part of the Eastern Conference squad in Uncasville, CT on July 25.
Probable Starters
Fever – F-Tamika Catchings, F-Marissa Coleman, C-Natalie Achonwa, G-Shenise Johnson, G-Briann January
Liberty – F- Swin Cash, F- Tina Charles, C- Carolyn Swords, G-Epiphanny Prince, G-Tanisha Wright
Last Meeting
(June 19, 2015) Maggie Lucas hit five 3-pointers and scored a career-high 23 points, and the Indiana Fever cruised to an 80-63 victory over the New York Liberty on back in June. Marissa Coleman added 16 points for the Fever. Indiana’s Tamika Catchings was 0-for-10 from the field and was held scoreless. Indiana jumped out to a 20-point lead in the first quarter lead and never trailed. New York used an 8-0 run to close to 70-63 with 6:24 to play, but the Fever put the game away with a 10-0 burst. Tanisha Wright scored 12 points for the Liberty,
Last Games
Fever: (July 28, 2015) Tamika Catchings’ fadeaway jumper with 6.5 seconds left in overtime was the exclamation point to a 75-73 victory Tuesday night as the Indiana Fever withstood a second-half rally to defeat the Connecticut Sun. Off the bench, Shavonte Zellous paced Indiana with 19 points on 9-of-17 shooting. She twice beat the shot-clock buzzer in overtime to stake Indiana to a 71-67 lead. Kelsey Bone’s three-point play brought the Sun within 71-70 and Camille Little’s 3-pointer put the home team into the lead for just the second time of the game, with 1:52 remaining in OT. Catchings scored the game’s final two buckets, though. She finished 15 points and eight rebounds.
Liberty: (July 22, 2015) Tina Charles had 14 points and 14 rebounds for her eighth double-double and the New York Liberty beat the Los Angeles Sparks 59-53 last Wednesday night for their fifth straight victory. Epiphanny Prince added 13 points for New York and Essence Carson had 12. Kristi Toliver led Los Angeles with 16 points, Jantel Lavender had 12, and Marianna Tolo 10. Toliver made the only 3-pointer for either team with 22 seconds remaining to pull Los Angeles to 56-53, but New York’s Tanisha Wright answered with two free throws.
Series
Indiana holds a 36-22 lead overall against New York and an impressive 20-7 mark playing at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Fever split two road trips to New York earlier in the season as they escaped with an 80-63 victory over the Liberty on June 19.