Indiana Fever (7-7) vs Connecticut Sun (7-7)

Date: Saturday, July 1, 2017
Time: 4:00 p.m. (EDT)
Site: Bankers Life Fieldhouse (Indianapolis, IN)
TV: WISH-TV
Live Stream: WNBA League Pass

Probable Starters
Fever: F- Shenise Johnson, F- Candice Dupree, C- Erlana Larkins, G- Erica Wheeler, G- Briann January
Sun: F- Shekinna Strickland, F- Alyssa Thomas, C- Jonquel Jones, G- Courtney Williams, G- Jasmine Thomas

The Fever return to Bankers Life Fieldhouse for their second matchup this year with the Connecticut Sun. The Fever have won three of their past four games, while the Sun have been one of the league’s hottest teams, winning 7 of 10 despite dropping two of the past three.

In the first returns of All-Star Voting, Tiffany Mitchell is second among Eastern Conference backcourt players with 4,202 votes. She trails Atlanta’s Tiffany Hayes (4,288) for first by just 86 votes. In the frontcourt, Candice Dupree is fourth with 4,965 votes. She trails third-place Jonquel Jones (10,585) of Connecticut by 5,620 votes. Voting concludes July 6 — be sure to vote for your favorite Fever stars!

Practice Report

Storylines & Promotion
• The Fever beat the Chicago Sky on the road, 82-75, on Wednesday. Candice Dupree scored 17 points and Erica Wheeler added 13 for the Fever. Five players scored in double figures for Indiana, who forced Chicago into 17 turnovers while coughing up the ball just eight times. The Fever also committed a season-low 10 fouls.

• Tiffany Mitchell bettered her own franchise record for consecutive free throws made, making her 43rd straight before missing her next attempt against Chicago. She is second in the WNBA with a 94.3 percent mark this year, and has made 142-of-154 (92.2 percent) in her career.

• The Sun snapped a two-game losing streak behind Jasmine Thomas’s career-high 29 points, in a 96-89 victory over the Seattle Storm. Alyssa Thomas added 17 points and nine assists for Connecticut.

• Fever opponents are making just 13.8 trips to the line over the past four games, making only 11.3 foul shotss per game.

• Dupree has scored in double figures in the past eight games, and in 12 of the team’s 14 games total. The Fever are 0-2 when she doesn’t reach that mark, and are 5-1 when she pours in at least 17 points.

• The team commits the second-fewest turnovers in the league, with just 11.7 miscues per game. Indiana is 6-1 in games where it commits fewer than 12 turnovers. As a result, nobody allows fewer shots than the Fever; the 63.8 per game attempted by Fever opponents is a league low.

• When Briann January registers at least four assists, the Fever are 5-0. When she doesn’t, the team is 0-6.

• This year, the Fever are 4-0 when Marissa Coleman scores at least nine points. Similarly, Indiana is 3-1 this season when Coleman hits at least two 3-pointers. The Fever are 22-15 all-time when Coleman does so.

• The Fever face a tough challenge in Jonquel Jones, the WNBA’s leading rebounder at 12.1 rebounds per game.

• Also receiving All-Star votes for the Fever: Briann January (1,531), Erica Wheeler (1,507), and Natalie Achonwa (1,385)

• Connecticut’s Morgan Tuck missed the team’s game against Seattle with an undisclosed knee injury, and her status is unknown.

• Sun guard Alex Bentley grew up in the Indianapolis area, attending Ben Davis High School. She also interned with the Fever during her senior year at Penn State.

• The Fever are 29-36 all-time against the Sun, though the Fever own an 18-15 mark at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Indiana has won seven of the past nine in the series, including an 81-79 home win on May 20.

Fever Film Room