Indiana Fever (10-12) vs. Los Angeles Sparks (20-2)

Date: Tuesday, July 19, 2016
Time: 8:00 p.m. (EDT)
Site: Bankers Life Fieldhouse (Indianapolis, IN)
Television: ESPN2
Webcast: Live webcast and stats can be accessed via WNBA League Pass on FeverBasketball.com. Please note, webcasts during games televised may not be available in local market areas due to blackout restrictions.

Probable Starters
Fever– F- Tamika Catchings, F-Lynetta Kizer, C-Erlana Larkins, G- Erica Wheeler, G-Briann January
Sparks– F- Essence Carson, F- Nneka Ogwumike, C- Candace Parker, G- Alana Beard, G- Kristi Toliver

Storylines & Promotion
• After winning three of their past four games, the Indiana Fever wrap up the home portion of their pre-Olympic break schedule with a nationally televised (ESPN2) matchup against the team with the WNBA’s best record this season, the Los Angeles Sparks, Tuesday night at 8:00 p.m. inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

• The Fever will host Inspiring Women Night presented by Merrill Lynch Tuesday night, recognizing high-achieving women in business and education. A pregame reception and panel discussion with Inspiring Women Night honorees begins at 6:30 p.m. Honorees, who will also be recognized at halftime, include Karen Hough, an Amazon best-selling author and international keynote speaker who founded the first business training company to use improvisation as the training catalyst; and eight recent African-American women who made history together as graduates from the Indiana University School of Education.

• After suffering a 22-point home loss to Connecticut Wednesday, the Fever bounced back to earn a 78-72 win over the Atlanta Dream Friday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

• Lynetta Kizer scored 18 points and tied her career high with nine field goals for the second straight game in Friday’s victory. She has now scored in double figures in four straight games – the longest stretch of her WNBA career – while averaging 14.5 points and shooting 65 percent (28-43) from the field over that span.

• Erlana Larkins posted her sixth double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds against Atlanta. Larkins is seventh in the WNBA this season with an average of 8.1 rebounds per game and second in field goal percentage, shooting 65.5 percent from the floor.

• Indiana and Los Angeles will meet for the second time this season. The Fever nearly erased a 21-point deficit with a near-record setting fourth quarter in the first meeting in Los Angeles on July 6. But the Sparks hung on to earn an 88-94 win over the Fever at the STAPLES Center.

• The Sparks tied the WNBA record for the best start in league history by beginning the season 20-1. However, Los Angeles fell just short of breaking the 1998 Houston Comets’ record as the Sparks fell 91-74 at Atlanta Sunday evening.

• The Sparks are led by a pair of All-Star forwards in Nneka Ogwumike and Candace Parker. Ogwumike is averaging 19.5 points and 8.7 rebounds per game while leading the WNBA in field goal percentage at a sizzling 71.4 percent this season. Parker averages 16.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and ranks second in the league with 5.1 assists per game.

Last Meeting
(July 6, 2016) LOS ANGELES – After trailing by as many as 21 points in the fourth quarter, the Fever mounted a furious comeback attempt in which they scored 39 points – one point shy of the WNBA record for most points in a quarter – and shot 14-for-18 from the field and 4-for-5 from three-point range. Tiffany Mitchell capped 28-8 run with a three-pointer to close the Fever deficit to one point, 88-89, with 12.2 seconds remaining. But after a pair of free throws by Sparks guard Essence Carson, Briann January’s three-point try to tie the game was blocked by Candace Parker who converted an and-one layup on the other end as Los Angeles prevailed with a 94-88 home win over Indiana. Mitchell led Indiana with 20 points, including 10 in the fourth. Nneka Ogwumike led the Sparks with 23 points while Parker finished with 20.

Series
The Fever and Sparks split their two regular season matchups last season as each squad was able to steal a game on the other’s home court. Indiana holds a 9-21 record all-time against the Sparks, including a 6-8 mark at home.