Odyssey Sims, Fever celebrate

By Madie Chandler | FeverBasketball.com

Just days after upsetting the Atlanta Dream in a first round series, the Indiana Fever lead their semifinals series against the Las Vegas Aces, 1-0. They defeated the same Aces that roster newly-minted 4-time league MVP A’ja Wilson; the same team that was previously unbeaten at home since August 2nd.

Indiana didn’t just squeak by the formidable Vegas Aces – the Fever won by a good margin, 89-73.

“Our group has seen it all,” coach Stephanie White said postgame. “We wanted to come in and be the aggressor right away…They’re champions for a reason. We knew that they were going to make runs. They made a big one in the third, and we responded with a big one. I’m just proud of our team. It’s one game. It’s a long series…but to come in here and to be able to steal this one was big for us.”

Kelsey Mitchell continued to showcase her elite scoring prowess as she poured in 34 points in the win. Mitchell’s 34 points are the most points scored in a playoff game by a Fever player since 2006, and she did it efficiently. She shot over 52 percent from the floor, including a 4-for-6 night from long range.

“She has to work incredibly hard for every shot that she gets,” White said of Mitchell. “So for her to be able to do what she does at the efficiency with which she does it, is pretty incredible.”

Indiana was efficient as a whole – the Fever knocked down 50 percent of their shots in the matchup, and limited the Aces to just 40.8 percent shooting. The Indiana defense swallowed up Wilson, allowing the league’s MVP just 16 points on 6-for-22 shooting.

“We know she’s an MVP,” Brianna Turner said of Wilson. “She’s the best player in the world at the moment, so we just tried to make all her buckets tough…We wanted to make sure that every shot [she] had a hand in her face or she was feeling contact. [We were] just trying to make every bucket as hard as possible and not give her any easy ones.”

That dedication to defense against Wilson spread to the rest of the floor as the Fever limited Las Vegas to just five 3-pointers on 29 percent shooting and won the turnover battle. Their grit and determination in the margins paid off, and Indiana flipped the Aces’ home court advantage on its head by stealing Game 1 of the best-of-five series.

The Fever’s synergy with one another accentuates that determination – their system and play-style hinges on every player performing within themselves. Wearing a Fever uniform doesn’t involve stepping outside of the box or conforming to a certain scheme. Instead, it means leaning into the strengths of each and every player that steps on the court.

“The thing I’m just so proud of with this group is it doesn’t matter who’s on the floor, it doesn’t matter who’s on our roster, they give each other the freedom to be themselves,” White said. “They empower one another to be themselves, and to be the best version of themselves. And every time we’ve had a change, every time we brought someone in, every time we’ve had rotational changes, they’re there for each other. They live the we over the me. And when you have that, it just gives you opportunities to do really special things.”

Indiana returns to action on Tuesday, Sep. 23, as they continue their semifinals series with the Aces. The Fever will host Game 3 on Friday, Sep. 26, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, 7:30 PM ET.

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