Indiana Fever (17-9) vs. Los Angeles Sparks (10-17)

Date: Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Site: Bankers Life Fieldhouse (Indianapolis, Ind.)
Radio: 107.5/1070 The Fan
Television: WNDY
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 Indiana Fever will host Inspiring Women Night presented by Elements Financial at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Wednesday night. A pregame reception and panel discussion begins at 5:45 p.m. Honorees include NHRA Funny Car racer Courtney Force, Indianapolis Colts vice chair and owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon, NBA referee Lauren Holtkamp and Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Lin Dunn. Leading the pregame panel of honorees is WISH-TV sportscaster Anthony Calhoun.
• Currently sitting one game out of first place in the competitive Eastern Conference playoff hunt, the Fever (17-9) continue their brief three-game home stint as they wrap up the regular season series with the Los Angeles Sparks Wednesday evening at 7:00 p.m.
• The Fever have now won six straight games overall, nine of 10 games since the All-Star break, and 14 of 17 after beginning the season 3-6.
• Indiana is looking to clinch its first winning record during the regular season for the first time since the 2012 campaign. With eight games to play, the Fever are now five wins away from tying the franchise record for most wins in a season (2009, 2012).
• Indiana’s current six-game winning streak marks only the fourth time in franchise history the Fever have strung together a winning streak longer than five games. The Fever have not won seven games in a row since the 2011 season.
• Currently the WNBA team leader in defensive three-point field goal percentage, the Fever have held their opponents to just 13 percent shooting (6-for-48) from long distance over the last four games.
• The Fever have forced 10 or more turnovers in all but one game this season and lead the WNBA while forcing 16.2 mistakes per game.
• Indiana leads the WNBA in team three-point field goal percentage (36.6 percent) and boasts three of the top four ranked three-point shooters in the league this season. Maggie Lucas ranks second (41.5 percent), Shenise Johnson checks in third (41.4 percent) and Briann January fourth (41.2 percent). In addition, Marissa Coleman ranks 12th at 38.6 percent.
• Already the league’s all-time leader in steals (997), Tamika Catchings needs just three more thefts to become the first player in WNBA history with 1,000 steals in a career.
• Sitting at 997 career points, Shenise Johnson needs three points to reach 1,000 for her WNBA career.
• With her next made free throw, Briann January (423) will move ahead of Katie Douglas into sole possession of third place on Indiana’s career list.
• Including five in Sunday’s win over New York, January has now led the Fever in assists in 13 of their 26 games and ranks 10th in the league with 3.6 assists per game.

Probable Starters
Fever – F-Tamika Catchings, F-Marissa Coleman, C-Lynetta Kizer, G-Shenise Johnson, G-Briann January
Sparks – F- Jantel Lavender, F- Candace Parker, C- Marianna Tolo, G- Ana Dabovic, G-Kristi Toliver

Last Meeting
(August 18, 2015) Tamika Catchings had 20 points and seven rebounds to help the Indiana Fever beat the Los Angeles Sparks 79-68 on Tuesday night. Briann January added 16 points for Indiana and Marissa Coleman had 14. Catchings hit a 3-pointer to cap Indiana’s 11-0 run to start the third quarter, cutting its deficit to 44-41. Los Angeles opened the fourth quarter on an 8-3 run for a 58-57 lead. But Indiana scored the next six as Los Angeles went scoreless for nearly 3 minutes. Candace Parker had 25 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and a franchise-record eight steals for Los Angeles.

Last Games
Fever: (August 23, 2015) Layshia Clarendon corralled the long rebound off a miss by Liberty guard Epiphanny Prince with 0.6 second remaining as the Indiana Fever withstood a second-half rally from New York to hang on for an 80-79 home victory in a matchup between the top two teams in the Eastern Conference. After a Tina Charles layup pushed New York ahead, 79-78, with 1:58 remaining, Most Improved Player award candidate Shenise Johnson pulled up from the right elbow and nailed a 19-footer for the final basket of the game with 1:33 left to play. The Fever made two key defensive stops down the stretch to seal the victory and move within one game behind the Liberty for first place in the East. Led by Tamika Catchings with 14 points, the Fever used a balanced scoring attack as they tied a season high by placing five players in double figures.

Sparks: (August 23, 2015) Sparks star Candace Parker nearly posted a triple-double as Los Angeles cruised to a 90-59 road victory at San Antonio Sunday afternoon. Parker finished with 20 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists as Los Angeles led by 30 or more points for a majority of the second half. Forward Jantel Lavender added a game-high 22 points on 9-of-11 shooting for the Sparks who have won the first two games of their current four-game road swing.

Series
The Fever ended a seven-game losing streak to the Sparks with a 79-68 win in Los Angeles last Tuesday. Indiana is looking to sweep the regular season series with Los Angeles for the third time in series history and the first time since the 2010 campaign. The Sparks have won the last three meetings inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Indiana’s last home win over Los Angeles came on July 31, 2011.