Indiana Fever (16-17) vs. Dallas Wings (11-22)

Date: Sunday, September 18, 2016
Time: 4:00 p.m. (EDT)
Site: Bankers Life Fieldhouse (Indianapolis, IN)
Television: ESPN2/ESPN3.com
Webcast: Live webcast and stats can be accessed via WNBA League Pass on FeverBasketball.com

Please note: Webcasts during games televised on ESPN2 may not be available in local market areas due to blackout restrictions.

Probable Starters
Fever– F- Tamika Catchings, F-Marissa Coleman, C-Erlana Larkins, G- Erica Wheeler, G-Briann January
Dallas– F- Karima Christmas, F- Theresa Plaisance, C- Courtney Paris, G- Odyssey Sims, G- Skylar Diggins

Storylines & Promotion
• The Indiana Fever will play their regular season finale at home against the Dallas Wings at 4:00 p.m. in Tamika Catchings’ final regular season game presented by Hoosier Lottery. Fans are encouraged to wear white for the first-ever Indiana Fever WHITE OUT!

• Fever fans can save on tickets in the Krieg DeVault Club Level with promo code: Fever20. Tickets purchased with this code will automatically enter fans for a chance to win great prizes including $20,000 or a trip to the 2017 WNBA All-Star game. Learn more and view rules at WNBASuper20.com. Find tickets at FeverBasketball.com.

• A special retirement ceremony will take place immediately after the game on Sept. 18, with fans invited to attend. Other in-game fan elements include:
– Fans in the lower bowl will receive a #24Forever t-shirt and all fans will receive “I was there at Tamika’s last game” certificates.
– Renowned sand sculpturist Joe Castillo will pay special tribute to Catchings’ career at halftime.
– Tribute videos will be played throughout the game.
– Fans can record video messages for Tamika which will be played throughout the game.
– Top plays and top moments from Catchings’ career will be played for fans throughout the afternoon.
– Fever players will wear a special Tamika Catchings shooting shirt. Fans can purchase this shirt in the Home Court Gift Shop ($25).

• With her third rebound of the night Friday against Minnesota, Catchings passed Lisa Leslie (3,307) as the WNBA’s career leader in rebounds. Catchings is already the league’s all-time leader in steals and free throws made and will end the regular season as the WNBA’s number two scorer in league history. She also is the WNBA’s all-time leader in playoff points, rebounds, steals and games played.

• Catchings joined the Indiana franchise in 2001 when she was the club’s first-round draft selection – just one year after the club was established. Since that time, she has been the face of the franchise through 16 seasons, 13 playoff appearances, eight visits to the conference finals, three trips to the WNBA Finals and a 2012 WNBA championship.

• Catchings is a four-time Olympic gold medalist, tied for the most by any player in men’s or women’s Olympic basketball history. Catchings has been named the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year an unprecedented five times. She is a 12-time WNBA All-Star, the 2011 Most Valuable Player and the 2012 WNBA Finals MVP while leading the Fever to their first and only championship.

• Universally liked by fans, coaches and fellow players, Catchings also is a two-time winner of the WNBA’s Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award. In 2015, she was inaugural winner of the ESPN Sports Humanitarian of the Year. Earlier this summer, she became the first two-time recipient of the WNBA’s Dawn Staley Community Leadership Award. In November, she will be honored with the Pathfinder Award by the Indiana Sports Corporation, honoring those who improve the lives of America’s youth; and the Musial Award by the St. Louis Sports Commission, for extraordinary sportsmanship.

• Universally liked by fans, coaches and fellow players, Catchings also is a two-time winner of the WNBA’s Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award. In 2015, she was inaugural winner of the ESPN Sports Humanitarian of the Year. Earlier this summer, she became the first two-time recipient of the WNBA’s Dawn Staley Community Leadership Award. In November, she will be honored with the Pathfinder Award by the Indiana Sports Corporation, honoring those who improve the lives of America’s youth; and the Musial Award by the St. Louis Sports Commission, for extraordinary sportsmanship.

• With her base in Indianapolis, Catchings has become a local community icon, revered and respected by players, coaches, youth, parents, corporate partners, executives and civic leaders. Catchings’ Catch The Stars Foundation (CTSF) has become a respected charitable agency that spread its roots during a league-wide Legacy Tour as part of her final pro season.

• Indiana extended its own WNBA record for the most consecutive playoff appearances as the Fever will appear in the postseason for the 12th consecutive season. With Indiana’s loss to Minnesota combined with Chicago’s victory over New York Friday night, the Fever be locked into either the fifth or sixth seed in the WNBA Playoffs presented by Verizon. The Fever will host either the Phoenix Mercury or Seattle Storm on Wednesday, September 21 when the playoffs begin. The tipoff time for Wednesday’s game yet to be determined.

• Under the WNBA’s new playoff format, the top eight seeds regardless of conference will qualify for the postseason. The league’s top two overall seeds will earn a bye into the best-of-five WNBA Semifinals (Sept. 28-Oct. 6). Teams seeded 5th through 8th participate in first-round elimination games on Wednesday, Sept. 21. Winners battle the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds in second-round elimination games on Sunday, Sept. 25. Winners of second-round games reach the WNBA Semifinals in a best-of-five series (Sept. 28-Oct. 6). Semifinal winners advance to the WNBA Finals (Oct. 9-20).

• The Fever end the regular season just as they began, with a home matchup against the Dallas Wings. The Wings escaped Bankers Life Fieldhouse with a 90-79 road win on Opening Night back on May 14, but Indiana returned the favor as the Fever stole a 92-87 win at Dallas on June 21.

• In their first season in Dallas after relocating from Tulsa during the offseason, the Wings battled injuries and consistency all season as they hold an 11-22 record.

• Despite their record, the Wings’ roster is packed with star power, particularly in the backcourt. Veteran guard Odyssey Sims has paced the Wings all season with 14.2 points and 3.8 assists per game. Former Notre Dame star Skylar Diggins has averaged 13.3 points and 3.3 assists per game in her return from injury this season. Former Fever guard Karima Christmas has turned in a career season with averages of 12.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.

Last Meeting
(June 25, 2016) ARLINGTON, TX – After a stretch in which the Fever scored 75 or fewer points in three of the previous four games, Indiana piled up 92 points and held off a late charge by the Wings to hold on for a five-point road victory over Dallas. Erlana Larkins scored a career-high 19 points and Indiana fed the veteran center early and often as she scored eight points in the opening quarter to help Indiana build an early advantage. The Fever their advantage to as many as 11 points in the first half before Dallas came back to tie the game just before halftime. Indiana started the second half much like the first and took a 14 points lead, 71-57, with 2:41 left in the third quarter. After leading by nine points with under two minutes left to play, the Fever saw their lead dwindle to three as rookie Aerial Powers banked in a runner with 52 seconds to play. But Dallas would get no closer as Powers was forced into a tough layup attempt on the following possession and Briann January sank a pair of free throws to give Indiana the road win.

Series
The Fever and Wings have split two regular season meetings this season as each squad has stolen a road game on the other’s home court. Indiana leads the overall series 28-22 with a 17-7 record at home over the Wings franchise that dates back to the 2000 season when the franchise was in Detroit.