INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Fever opened up the 2018 season with a 82-64 loss to the Chicago Sky Saturday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
This is the fourth consecutive season opener that resulted in a loss for Indiana.
Chicago was paced by their pair of All-Stars, guard Allie Quigley and center Stefanie Dolson. Quigley had 19 points, 14 of which came in the first half. She also had five assists. Dolson displayed her all-around game, registering 11 points, seven rebounds, and five assists.
Chicago rookie forward Diamond DeShields scored 18 points, 8 rebounds, and three assists in her WNBA debut.
The first quarter was a defensive battle, with Indiana holding Chicago to a field goal percentage of just 27.8 while also forcing five turnovers. Indiana took a 17-14 lead to end the quarter.
Sky All-Star guard Allie Quigley took over to start the second, scoring seven of Chicago’s first nine points in the quarter. Behind Quigley, the Sky were able to shoot 50 percent from the field, taking a two-point lead into halftime.
“She [Quigley] is just full throttle for the entire 30 minutes,” says Fever forward Candice Dupree, “which makes her such a tough guard.”
After leading 36-34 at halftime, Chicago would go on to shoot 62.1 percent from the field in the second half, outscoring Indiana by 46-30.
“It was our defense,” says Fever guard Erica Wheeler. “I think we kind of got lazy on defense. They got a couple of transition points and they were running. We weren’t making shots and that’s what killed us. We didn’t make shots and we didn’t get back when we needed to get back.”
Indiana’s scoring came primarily from the team’s veterans, with forward Candice Dupree leading the Fever with 14 points and eight rebounds. The starting backcourt of the Fever handled most of the scoring load outside of Dupree, as Wheeler had 13 points and a team-high four assists, while her backcourt mate, Tiffany Mitchell, had 11 points. Mitchell also shot 4-4 from the line, extending her streak of makes from the charity stripe to 28, a mark that continues from last season.
Indiana struggled shooting the ball in the opener, with a field goal percentage of 36.8 percent, including 3-15 from behind the 3-point line.
“For me, it’s never about makes or misses,” said Fever head coach Pokey Chatman. “It’s about competing every possession… We knew we would have a lot to learn in terms of experience, but that wasn’t about experience. You compete at the highest level each possession, regardless.”
Today’s game was the first time the Fever had four or more rookies (Kelsey Mitchell, Victoria Vivians, Stephanie Mavunga, and Hind Ben Abdelkader) play in the same game since 2000, Indiana’s first in the WNBA.
Indiana will look to rebound in its first road game of the season against the Mystics on Sunday, May 20th in Washington.
Highlights
Postgame