Indiana (8-8) vs. Connecticut (8-7)

Date: Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Site: Mohegan Sun Arena (Uncasville, Conn.)
Radio: None
Television: None
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 opens the second half of the season Tuesday evening at Connecticut (8-7) in a game that was originally scheduled for July 18. Due to weather related travel issues for the Fever (8-8), the game was rescheduled for Tuesday. Indiana will return to Bankers Life Fieldhouse to face the New York Liberty on Wednesday.
• The Fever have lost two straight road games, most recently to San Antonio on July 21, 80-62. The loss to the Stars ended the first half of the season before the All-Star break for both teams.
• Tamika Catchings (6,720 career points) closed within two points of Diana Taurasi (6,722) as the No. 2 all-time scorer in WNBA history following the San Antonio game. Catchings already is the league’s all-time leader in steals and free throws, and is currently the league’s third-leading career rebounder.
• Catchings, a 10-time All-Star, was named a starter for the 2015 game played last Saturday, and teammate Marissa Coleman made her All-Star debut as a reserve for the East. Coleman played 18 minutes in the ASG, connecting on a pair of 3-pointers for six points. Catchings didn’t take it easy in her final All-Star game appearance, filling the box score with eight points, 10 rebounds and six assists. The Fever legend became the All-Star Game’s career scoring leader (108 points).
• The scoring duo of Catchings (12.8 ppg) and Coleman (12.6 ppg) rank 18th and 19th in the league in scoring average, respectively. Catchings also ranks tied for 10th overall in rebounds per game with 6.9.
• Halfway through the season, Briann January ranks 12th in the WNBA with a team-high 3.3 assists per game.
• Two of Indiana’s bigs rank sixth and seventh overall in field goal percentage. Natalie Achonwa, who returns to the team after a brief stint with the Canadian National Team at the Pan Am Games, is shooting 52.1 percent from the field. Lynetta Kizer is not far behind with 51.4 percent shooting. Congratulations are in store for Achonwa whose Canada team captured the gold medal last week with a win over the United States.
• Maggie Lucas leads the team in 3-point field goal percentage (41.3 percent) and is tied for fourth in the league in the category.
• Shenise Johnson, who has missed three games with an ankle sprain for the Fever, ranks 10th in the WNBA in steals per game with 1.46.

Probable Starters
Fever – F-Tamika Catchings, F-Marissa Coleman, C-Lynetta Kizer, G-Shenise Johnson, G-Briann January
Sun – F- Alyssa Thomas, F- Camille Little, C- Kelsey Bone, G-Alex Bentley, G-Jasmine Thomas

Last Meeting
(July 2, 2015) Tamika Catchings was nearly perfect during a 92-84 Fever victory over the Connecticut Sun, finishing with game highs of 26 points and 10 rebounds. Indiana nearly ran away with a third straight double-figure road margin until the Sun staged a comeback in the final minutes. With 1:48 left in the third quarter, Indiana led by a commanding score of 74-51. The Sun awoke in the fourth, however, going on 24-7 run and cutting the Fever lead to 83-79 with 2:23 to play. Catchings sank a baseline jumper, and free throws from Natalie Achonwa and Catchings helped put the game on ice for Indiana. Shenise Johnson finished with 13 points and Achonwa with 10 of her own. Kelsey Bone paced Connecticut with 21 points and Alex Bentley added 18.

Last Games
Fever: (July 21, 2015) Danielle Robinson scored 18 while Sophia Young-Malcolm added 15 and 10 rebounds to help the San Antonio Stars beat the Indiana Fever 80-62 last week. Robinson capped an 18-6 run with a put-back layup which gave San Antonio a 46-28 lead with 52.9 seconds left in the first half. The Fever trailed by double digits the rest of the way. Tamika Catchings led Indiana with 20 points. No other Fever player scored in double digits.

Sun: (July 22, 2015) Camille Little hit a jumper with 8 seconds left to help the Connecticut Sun beat the Minnesota Lynx 78-77 in overtime last Wednesday. The Sun closed the game on a 7-2 run, including Jasmine Thomas’ 3-pointer that gave Connecticut a 76-75 lead with 27 seconds left. Maya Moore, who scored 20 of her 25 after halftime, had one final chance but her shot with 2 seconds left missed. Shekinna Stricklen led the Sun with 15 points.

Series
The Fever and Sun meet for the second time this season. Last time out, Indiana defeated Connecticut 92-84 at Mohegan Sun Arena to snap a seven-game road losing streak at Connecticut. Indiana piled up a season-high 92 points on a season-best 54.4 percent shooting in the win on June 30 – the beginning of a five-game winning streak. The Sun lead the overall series 34-24.