Indiana Fever vs Chicago Sky
Tuesday, September 5, 2023
Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 7 p.m. ET
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Broadcast Information
Bally Sports Indiana
Pat Boylan (play-by-play), Bria Goss (analyst)
The Indiana Fever return home to take on the Chicago Sky on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET in Indianapolis for the final matchup between the two teams during the regular season. Chicago has defeated the Fever twice this season, but Indiana came out victorious against the Sky, 92-90, on June 15 when Kelsey Mitchell’s completed midrange jumper put Indana ahead by two with 1.1 seconds on the clock. The last six meetings between Indiana and Chicago have all been decided by single digits.
Last time out for Indiana, the Fever defeated the 20-17 Dallas Wings in Arlington, 97-84, on Sunday afternoon. Both NaLyssa Smith and Kelsey Mitchell notched 30 points in the overtime victory to become the first duo in franchise history and 11th in league history to score 30 points in the same game. Aliyah Boston also contributed a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Erica Wheeler pitched in nine points and 11 assists.
Mitchell has consistently led the team this season averaging 18.4 points per game while shooting 40 percent (96-of-240) from beyond the arc. Mitchell enters Tuesday’s matchup with 679 points and 228 field goals through Indiana’s 37 games this season, which became new franchise records on Sunday for most points and field goals made in a regular season. Smith is adding 15.5 points per game and ranks fourth in the league in rebounds per game averaging 9.3 rebounds each matchup.
Boston is averaging 14.8 points per contest and is still shooting a league-leading 58.4 percent (219-of-375) from the floor, while consistently leading all rookies in rebounds (8.4 rpg), steals (1.3 spg) and blocked shots. With the help of Boston’s 1.4 blocks per game, Indiana ranks first in the league for points in the paint allowed with opponents averaging 31.4 points in the lane each game. On Sunday, Boston set a new franchise record for most rebounds in a regular season when she pulled down her 310th rebound through the first 37 games of her career.
Indiana reserves are averaging a WNBA fifth-best 19.5 points per game, led by Emma Cannon’s 5.9 points, Victoria Vivians’ 5.3 points and Grace Berger’s 4.1 points per contest this season. Vivians and Berger’s combined points on Sunday allowed for the Fever reserves to outscore the Wings reserves, 13-2.
For Chicago, the Sky are led by Kahleah Copper’s 18.5 points per game, good for eighth in the WNBA. Marina Mabrey is contributing 14.8 points and 3.5 assists per contest this season, while Elizabeth Williams is adding an average of 9.9 points and 1.2 steals per game.
Chicago enters the game following a 86-69 loss to the New York Liberty on Sunday. Copper led all Sky scorers with 23 points on 9-of-17 shooting from the floor, while Mabrey followed behind with 12 points. Robyn Parks’ 10 points led the bench to outscore the New York reserves, 23-14.
The Sky rank third in the league in multiple categories, including blocks (4.6 bpg), offensive rebounds (8.7 rpg) and 3-point field goal percentage (36.1 percent), highlighted by Courtney Williams’ efficient 41.8 percent (41-of-98) shooting from beyond the arc. Williams is averaging 9.8 points per game this season to go along with a team-high 5.9 assists.
Probable Starters
Indiana Fever (12-25)
Guard – Kelsey Mitchell (18.4 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 3.2 apg)
Guard – Erica Wheeler (9.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 5.2 apg)
Guard – Kristy Wallace (6.6 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.9 apg)
Forward – NaLyssa Smith (15.5 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 1.4 apg)
Center – Aliyah Boston (14.8 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 1.4 bpg)
Chicago Sky (15-22)
Guard – Marina Mabrey (14.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.5 apg)
Guard – Courtney Williams (9.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 6.0 apg)
Guard – Kahleah Copper (18.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.0 apg)
Forward – Morgan Bertsch (4.4 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 0.7 apg)
Center – Elizabeth Williams (9.9 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.5 bpg)
Game Status Report
Indiana: Lexie Hull – out (right shoulder)
Chicago: TBA