Indiana (7-6) vs. Tulsa (10-4)

Date: Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Time: 7:00 p.m.
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 & Promotion

• Indiana (7-6) closes a four-game homestand Wednesday evening with a matchup against the Tulsa Shock (10-4). The Shock have won two straight and are in second place in the Western Conference. The Fever hold the second largest current win streak in the league (four).
• The Fever have now won four consecutive regular season games for the first time since the beginning of last season (May 25 through June 6). Indiana has not won five in-a-row since the 2012 season (August 23 through September 1, 2012).
• Last time out, Marissa Coleman scored a career-high 25 points and set a career-high with nine field goals on 16 attempts in the win versus the San Antonio Stars July 10. Coleman ranks 16th in the league in scoring average with 13.3 points per game.
• Tamika Catchings is tied for 16th with Coleman in scoring average. Catchings also ranks 10th in the league in rebounds per game (7.1).
• Indiana has shot 50 percent or better from the field in every game during their current winning streak, including a 50.8 percent mark (31-61) in the game against the Stars. The Fever are 5-0 overall this season when shooting better than 50 percent from the floor.
• Over the last four games, the Fever have averaged 84.0 points per game and shot 51.4 percent from the field. Additionally, they have held their opponents to 68.8 points per game on 41.3 percent shooting.
• Lynetta Kizer has now scored in double figures off the bench in two consecutive games. Against San Antonio, she finished with 13 points and shot a perfect 5-for-5 from the field. Kizer’s 55.8 (48-of-86) percent field goal percentage ranks fifth in the league.
• Briann January is tied for seventh in the WNBA with a team-leading 3.6 assists per game.
• Including a 28-12 advantage in bench points in tonight’s game, Indiana’s bench has outscored its opponents in all seven wins this season (7-4 overall). The Fever lead the WNBA with 29.0 bench points per game.
• Karima Christmas makes her return to Indianapolis this Wednesday. She played with the Fever for three years before signing a free agent contact with the Shock this offseason. She was acquired by Indiana July 2, 2012 in a trade with Tulsa.
• This will be the third straight game the Fever have faced off against a team with a recent Notre Dame graduate on its roster. Oddly enough, neither Skylar Diggins (knee injury) nor Natalie Achonwa (Pan Am games) will be active for the matchup.
• Following this game, the team sets out for a three-game road trip beginning with Washington (July 17) and ending with San Antonio (July 21).

Probable Starters
Fever – F-Tamika Catchings, F-Marissa Coleman, C-Erlana Larkins, G-Shenise Johnson , G-Briann January
Shock – F- Karima Christmas, F- Plenette Pierson, C- Courtney Paris, G-Riquna Williams, G-Brianna Kiesel

Last Meeting
Tamika Catchings scored nine of her 23 points in the fourth quarter, including the tiebreaking basket with 5.2 seconds remaining to lift the Indiana Fever past the Tulsa Shock 78-76 almost a year ago. Catchings also had 11 rebounds to help the Fever recover after giving up a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter. Shavonte Zellous had 18 points for the Fever. Skylar Diggins and Jordan Hooper combined for all of the Shock’s scoring during a 13-4 run to pull Tulsa to 71-65 with 5:54 remaining. Odyssey Sims’ two free throws with 54.9 seconds left cut the deficit to 76-74. Sims drew an offensive foul on Indiana’s next possession and Courtney Paris’ layup tied the score with 16.7 seconds to go. That set the stage for Catchings’ winning basket as she caught a pass from Erlana Larkins and made a layup. Diggins finished with 23 points for Tulsa.

Last Games
Fever: (July 10, 2015) Marissa Coleman scored 12 of her career-high 25 points in a decisive third quarter, and Indiana beat the San Antonio Stars 83-76 Friday night. Indiana went on a 14-3 run in the third quarter, with 10 points from Coleman, to take its first double-digit lead of the game at 56-45. Lynetta Kizer added 13 points for Indiana and Tamika Catchings and Shenise Johnson had 11 apiece. Sophia Young-Malcolm scored a season-high 27 points for San Antonio. Kalana Greene’s steal and layup pulled San Antonio within 80-74 with 30 seconds remaining, but Indiana made 3-of-4 free throws to seal it.

Shock: (July 11, 2015) Karima Christmas scored a career-high 24 points to help the Tulsa Shock beat the Los Angeles Sparks 82-67 Saturday night. Odyssey Sims added 14 points and Brianna Kiesel and Vicki Baugh each added 10 points for Tulsa.. The Shock pulled away with a 13-4 run capped by Christmas’ free throw with 3:15 left that made it 74-60. Nneka Ogwumike had 22 points and 13 rebounds for the Sparks, and Jantel Lavender added 14 and 11. Los Angeles opened the game with a 12-4 run and never trailed in the first quarter, but the Shock took the lead for good with a 14-2 run to open the second.

Series
Indiana owns a 26-20 series lead over the Shock, most of which was accumulated in a rough-and-tumble history with the Detroit Shock, prior to relocation in 2010. Since the relocation, Indiana owns a 8-2 lead over Tulsa with its only losses coming last season, and on May 29, 2010 in what was the Shock’s first home win at BOK Center. In a high-scoring overtime loss last June, Shavonte Zellous scored a career-high 33 points.