INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – JULY 13: Lexie Hull #10 and Natasha Howard #6 of the Indiana Fever swarm Paige Bueckers #5 of the Dallas Wings during the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on July 13, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

By Madie Chandler | FeverBasketball.com

Indiana’s 102-83 victory over the Dallas Wings on Sunday screams of potent offense, but the defense played by the Fever allowed them to pour in the points as they did, clogging passing lanes and anticipating the Wings’ decisions before Dallas even made them.

“We want to keep going forward,” coach Stephanie White said. “We want to keep progressing. We want to keep growing in the areas that we need to grow.”

The Fever showed certain signs of growth on Sunday – just the third game in which Indiana has had its full rotation of players healthy and available – through gritty, effort-infused plays that led to a win. Indiana is now one of just six WNBA teams with a winning record on the season.

The breakneck speed at which the Fever pulled Dallas along throughout Sunday’s game is a result of Indiana’s defensive principles finally falling into a groove. A common frustration following Indiana’s win over Atlanta on Friday was the defensive inconsistency from quarter to quarter. The Fever set out to correct that against the Wings, and opened the game with a stretch of unreal basketball that set the tone for the rest of the matchup.

The Fever put together a 33-9 run that lasted nearly eight minutes in the second quarter and gave them a 22-point advantage at the break. They notched a blistering 36 points in the period, and made 76% of their 21 field goals.

Indiana closed the first half with 64 points – the most in a half in the WNBA this season. It also marks the most first half points Indiana has scored in Fever franchise history.

Caitlin Clark in particular was a spark on both ends of the floor for Indiana. The second year guard stole the ball five times, blocked a shot once, and amassed 13 assists – many of which were fullcourt “touchdown” passes as her teammates leaked out in front of the defense, allowing Clark to toss the ball over the top for an open layup. She’s now recorded the fifth most points and assists double-doubles in WNBA history after scoring 14 points against the Wings, and tied her career-high for steals in a game.

“She’s got to be able to bring the offense and the defense,” White said of Clark. “…She’s continued to grow in that area throughout the course of the season, and for us to accomplish the things that we want to accomplish, she’s got to take more pride in that. And I think she’s done that.”

More than the opportunities created by stingy defense, Indiana’s victory hinged upon its ability to create open looks by swinging the ball and rotating Dallas’ defense. The Fever recorded 30 assists on Sunday, matching a franchise-high set against the Las Vegas Aces in 2019. That game went into overtime – an extra five minutes to tack on assists. Sunday’s number was achieved in 40 minutes of regulation time.

“That’s really impressive,” Clark said of Indiana’s assist total. “And I think it just shows the selflessness of this group. You’re just trying to find your teammate, trying to get to the next action, trying to give up a good shot for a great shot. And [I’m] just really proud of this group, of how we share the ball.”

Indiana recorded five double-figure scorers on Sunday – Kelsey Mitchell (20), Natasha Howard (18), Aliyah Boston (17), Sophie Cunningham (13), and Clark (14). Mitchell led the way with 20 points on 8-for-12 shooting.

“When we have five people in double figures, I feel like we’re going to be pretty hard to beat,” Clark said. “…We were just kind of firing on all cylinders, moving the ball well, getting to the next action, playing out of pick and roll well, and then our defense was good. It got us a lot of buckets in transition.”

The Fever’s transition offense was clicking – Indiana scored 16 fastbreak points and 23 points off Dallas turnovers. They also grabbed 11 total steals and blocked two shots.

The matchup with the Wings featured the WNBA’s last three No. 1 overall draft picks – Boston in 2023, Clark in 2024, and Paige Bueckers in 2025. All three members of that trio earned WNBA All-Star honors and will participate in All-Star festivities taking place in Indianapolis on July 18 and 19.

Before the league’s attention shifts to All-Star weekend, the Fever travel to Boston to play the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday, and follow that with a trip to New York to match up with the Liberty on Wednesday. The trip marks the final back-to-back contests of Indiana’s season.