Date: Friday, June 12, 2015
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Site: Bankers Life Fieldhouse (Indianapolis, Ind.)
Radio: 107.5/1070 The Fan
Television: FOX Sports Indiana
Webcast: Live webcast and stats can be accessed via WNBA Live Access on FeverBasketball.com. (Webcasts during games televised on FOX Sports Indiana may not be available in local market areas due to blackout restrictions.)

Storylines & Promotions

• The Indiana Fever (0-3) prepare for a matchup versus the defending WNBA champions Phoenix Mercury (1-1). Indiana has lost three straight after back-to-back games against Chicago and Minnesota and a loss this past Tuesday to New York. The team’s record matches that of a year ago, where the Fever dropped games to Chicago, Atlanta and Washington.

• Five Fever players (Tamika Catchings, Natalie Achonwa, Layshia Clarendon, Shenise Johnson and Lynetta Kizer) scored in double figures Tuesday against the Liberty. The last time this happened in the regular season was against Seattle July 31, 2014. Indiana won that game 76-67 after double digit scoring from Catchings, Shavonte Zellous, Briann January, Erlana Larkins and Marissa Coleman.

• Stephanie White is still seeking her first win as head coach of the Fever.

• Rookie Natalie Achonwa, after sitting out last season following knee surgery, is seeing plenty of action thus far. She recorded 10 points and six rebounds at Chicago in her WNBA debut, and finished with 14 points and five boards in her first career start against Minnesota. On Tuesday against New York, Achonwa earned her second start, finishing with 13 points and four rebounds.

• Indiana’s 41 points at the half against the Liberty were a season-high in one half for the Fever, but the 13 points in the third were a season-low for a quarter.

• The loss overshadowed a career scoring high of 14 points by Layshia Clarendon and the 2015 debut of three-time Olympic gold medalist and nine-time WNBA All-Star Catchings. Catchings, the WNBA’s active leader in points, rebounds, steals and free throws, scored seven points in the first quarter and finished with 13 points and seven rebounds.

Probable Starters

Fever – F Marissa Coleman; F Tamika Catchings; C Natalie Achonwa; G Layshia Clarendon; G Briann January

Phoenix – F Candice Dupree; F DeWanna Bonner; C Cayla Francis; G Leilani Mitchell; G Monique Currie

Coors Light Cold Hard Fact

Last Meeting

The Fever last faced off with the Mercury in early August of last season, where Phoenix defeated Indiana, 79-69. Brittney Griner led the Mercury with 17 points, as Phoenix scored 14 straight points to pull away from the Fever in a late season win. Diana Taurasi added 15 points, five assists and three rebounds for the Mercury. Phoenix fell behind 63-61 with 7:09 left in the game before going on its big run. Indiana missed 11 shots in a row over a seven-minute stretch, including three layups and at least two wide-open looks. Shavonte Zellous led the Fever with 14 points and four assists. Despite the loss, Indiana held Griner to two points in the second half.

Last Games

Fever: (June 9, 2015) Tina Charles scored 21 points and Essence Carson added 14 to lead the New York Liberty to an 84-74 win over the Indiana Fever. The Liberty earned its second straight home win at Madison Square Garden while Indiana fell to 0-3. Despite a rebounding edge and outscoring the Liberty in three of four quarters, Indiana’s 16 turnovers contributed to 24 Liberty points and New York shot 49 percent from the floor to send the Fever to its third straight defeat, matching an identical start in 2014. Layshia Clarendon scored a career-high 14 points in the loss.

Mercury: (June 11, 2015) Despite holding New York to just nine points in the second quarter of their game at Madison Square Garden, the Mercury fell 68-57 to the Liberty on Thursday night. The Mercury struggled from the field all night, shooting just 29 percent for the game and making only five of their 23 3-point attempts. DeWanna Bonner scored a team-high 22 points for Phoenix, continuing her impressive start to the 2015 WNBA season. But without All-Star center Brittney Griner, who is still serving her seven-game suspension, the Mercury weren’t able to overcome the offense of New York’s Tina Charles, who scored a team-high 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.

Series

Despite suffering a two-game series sweep last season, Indiana still holds a 16-11 mark over Phoenix all-time. The Fever look to improve their home record against the Mercury to 10-5 this coming Friday. On the road, Indiana is edging Phoenix out 7-6.