Johnson and January Help Fever Upend Conference-Leading New York

INDIANAPOLIS – Implementing team toughness and receiving outstanding performances from Shenise Johnson and Briann January, the Indiana Fever snagged a convincing victory Wednesday night over the hottest team in the WNBA.

Johnson contributed a season-best 19 points in Indiana’s 84-72 triumph over the visiting New York Liberty, which had won five straight games. January turned in 12 points, all in the second half, and added a season-high eight assists while taking control at the point down the stretch.

Indiana lifted its record to 10-8, extending its post-All-Star break winning streak to two. New York, the Eastern Conference leader, lost for just the sixth time in 18 games.

PHOTO GALLERY: Fever 84, Liberty 72 »

The Fever weren’t happy with the way they finished the season’s first half, mounting a five-game winning steak only to see it detour into a pair of losses before the All-Star Game. They talked about it. They vowed to make things right.

“We were able to kind of just let it go, refocus and come back refreshed,” January said. “We really talked about attention to detail and not settling and holding each other accountable. I think we’ve come back and responded really well off of All-Star break.”

Wednesday night, playing the second of back-to-back games after winning at Connecticut on Tuesday, the Fever showed flashes of brilliance but mostly just played with the competitive zeal needed to beat the conference’s leading club.

“It just really shows the character of our team,” Indiana Coach Stephanie White said. “We came out after All-Star break and we set the bar at where we want to compete every day, where we want to compete every possession. As a coaching staff, we’re holding them accountable to that.”

Johnson – whom White describes simply as “a playmaker” – did her part, scoring in double digits for the seventh time in her last eight games. Johnson, acquired in an off-season trade with San Antonio, finished one point away from her career high. She totaled a team-high eight rebounds.

“It takes a while to transition,” Johnson, who is averaging 11.1 points, said about adapting to her new club. “I have great teammates, and I’m still learning. At the same time, you just become a little more aggressive and confident as you start to understand it. I can play through my instincts now…and that was kind of like a turning point for me.”

January turned to her instincts, too, especially in the second half as she shifted into attack mode. The point guard committed only one turnover as Indiana held its total to 15 – compared to 21 for the Liberty. Indiana scored 24 points off of Liberty turnovers.

January’s nifty pass to Maggie Lucas for a 3-pointer with 6:10 left in the game put the Fever up by 14 points. New York cut the margin to four with 4:19 left, but January’s 4-of-4 shooting from the foul line helped keep the Liberty at bay in the final minutes.

“In the second half, down the stretch (it was January) stepping up and basically taking over,” said Indiana’s Tamika Catchings, who had 11 points.

Said White about January: “Her poise, her composure, her decision-making was really the best it’s been all year. She was the catalyst and one of the main reasons that we could control the tempo for a majority of this game.”

The Fever finished the month of July with a 6-2 record, their best monthly mark since going 6-1 in August of their WNBA championship season in 2012. Consistent effort and hard-nosed rebounding have played a big part.

Indiana outrebounded the Liberty, the WNBA’s top rebounding team, by a 32-27 margin.

“… That doesn’t happen very often,” said Liberty Coach Bill Laimbeer. “We gave them way too many second shots. They had 19 points on second shots. That doesn’t happen against us.”

July 29, 2015 – FeverBasketball.com’s Daniel Massa wraps up the Indiana Fever’s 84-72 victory over the New York Liberty.

July 29, 2015 – Fever players Briann January, Shenise Johnson, and Tamika Catchings discuss Indiana’s 84-72 victory over the New York Liberty.

July 29, 2015 – July 29, 2015 – Fever head coach Stephanie White discusses the Fever’s 84-72 victory over the New York Liberty.

July 29, 2015 – New York Liberty head coach Bill Laimbeer, Epiphanny Prince and Tina Charles talk about their 84-72 loss to the Indiana Fever.

July 29, 2015 – FeverBasketball.com talks to assistant coach and director of player development, Carlos Knox.