Indiana (13-9) vs. Phoenix (15-8)

Date: Sunday, August 16, 2015
Time: 8:00 p.m.
Site: US Airways Center (Phoenix, AZ)
Radio: 107.5/1070 The Fan
Television: ESPN 2
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 & Promotion

• The Fever (13-9) head west for an extended Western Conference road swing that includes stops at Phoenix (15-8) this Sunday, Los Angeles next Tuesday and Seattle next Friday. Indiana is tied for second place in the Eastern Conference with Washington and Chicago, 2 1/2 games behind New York.
• Indiana has now won seven consecutive home games – tying the club’s third-longest home winning streak in franchise history and matching the longest mark since 2012. During that streak, Indiana has averaged 85.7 points while outscoring its opponents by 15.7 points per game.
• After beginning the season 3-6, the Fever have now won 10 of their last 13 games.
• With a 5-5 record away from home this season, Indiana needs just four road wins to tie the franchise record for most road victories in a season (2006, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2014).
• The Fever bench has outscored its opponents in 11 of their 13 wins this season and 16 of 22 games overall. Indiana currently leads the WNBA in bench scoring with an average of 29.6 points per game.
• Catchings tied Tina Thompson (3,070) for second place on the WNBA’s career rebounding list in the win at Washington last Tuesday. She is averaging 12.9 points and 6.9 rebounds per game this season. The veteran has recorded 19 steals over the last seven games and now needs only 12 thefts to reach 1,000 for her career.
• Coleman ranks 20th in the WNBA in scoring (12.8 ppg) and 11th in 3-point percentage, shooting 37.8 percent from deep. She has scored in double figures in 15 of Indiana’s 22 games this season.
• Shenise Johnson has scored in double figures in 11 of her last 12 appearances, averaging 13.2 points per game on 51.4 percent shooting over that span. She leads all qualified players in the league while shooting 43.2 percent from long distance.
• January’s next point will move her past Tammy Sutton-Brown (1,658) into third place on the Fever’s career scoring list. She currently ranks 10th in the league in assists, averaging a team-high 3.4 per game.

Probable Starters
Fever – F-Tamika Catchings, F-Marissa Coleman, C-Erlana Larkins, G-Shenise Johnson, G-Briann January
Mercury – F- Candice Dupree, F- DeWanna Bonner, C-Brittney Griner, G-Monique Currie, G-Leilani Mitchell

Last Meeting
(June 12, 2015) Tamika Catchings recorded her 91st career double-double in a 77-74 victory over the Phoenix Mercury. Midway through the first quarter, Indiana found themselves ahead 19-7, which was the team’s largest lead of the season. Marissa Coleman finished the game with 11 points and six rebounds. For the Mercury, Leilani Mitchell capitalized on 7-of-10 3-pointers, breaking a Fever record by an opponent in a single game and finished with 25 points.

Last Games
Fever: (August 11, 2015) Tamika Catchings scored 10 of her 20 points in the fourth quarter and the Indiana Fever beat the Washington Mystics 73-62 on Tuesday night for their fifth victory in six games since the All-Star break. Ivory Latta hit a 3-pointer to pull the Mystics to 63-54 with 3:58 left, but Catchings answered with a 19-foot jumper, and the Fever cruised from there to even the season series 2-2.

Mercury: (August 12, 2015) Noelle Quinn finished with 13 points to help the Mercury beat Seattle 83-66 on Wednesday night for their ninth straight victory over the Storm. Cayla Francis and DeWanna Bonner added 11 points apiece for Phoenix. Seattle fell behind 26-17 after one quarter, but Mosqueda-Lewis scored 12 points in the second to keep the Storm within reach at 52-42. Seattle only scored five points in the third, going the final 5 minutes without a point.

Series
Indiana earned its first victory over Phoenix since the end of the 2012 regular season with a 77-74 win at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on June 12. The Fever lead the series over 17-9, and hold a 7-5 mark over the Mercury at US Airways Center.