Coleman’s Career-High Scoring Is Impetus in Indiana Triumph

INDIANAPOLIS – After the Indiana Fever played a less than stellar first half, they needed inspiration. Marissa Coleman provided it in resounding fashion.

Coleman scored a career-high 25 points, including 20 after halftime, to boost the Fever to an 83-76 victory Friday night over the visiting San Antonio Stars. Coleman’s former University of Maryland teammate, Lynetta Kizer, contributed 13 points with 5-of-5 shooting from the field.

Coleman is averaging 13.3 points – tied with Tamika Catchings for the team lead – and might be headed to her first appearance in the WNBA All-Star Game on July 25 in Connecticut. She is also averaging 4.3 rebounds and is Indiana’s top scorer from the arc with 18 made 3-pointers on 46 attempts.

PHOTO GALLERY: Fever 83, Stars 76 »»

“If she’s not an All-Star, something is wrong,” Fever Coach Stephanie White said. “She’s just had a terrific year.”

The 6-foot-1 Coleman was at her best when the Fever needed it most – after they missed nine of their last 12 shots of the second quarter and saw San Antonio grab a 38-all tie at the half. Coleman ramped up her aggressiveness in the third quarter, churning, slashing and spinning to get to the bucket.

“The first half,” Coleman said, “I was settling for a lot of jump shots. I was frustrated with a couple of transition 3s that I took when I could have gotten to the rim. I just wanted to make it a point in the second half to get to the basket, get to the (foul) line.”

Said White: “Her defensive energy in the second half really got her going offensively.”

The triumph was the Fever’s fourth straight, pushing them to 7-6 and above .500 for the first time this season. When Tulsa visits Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Wednesday, the Fever will seek their first five-game streak since the 2012 WNBA championship season.

The Fever have shot 51.4 percent from the field and averaged 84 points in their four-game winning string.

“We’re setting one another up very well,” White said. “We’re very unselfish. We don’t really care who puts the ball in the hole as long as it goes in the hole.”

However, it wasn’t going in the bucket as the second quarter ended. And a halftime talk by White made it clear to the Fever that the coaching staff wasn’t satisfied with a lot of things.

Coleman quickly changed that, burying 12 points in the third quarter. Indiana’s defensive effort rose, too, holding San Antonio to 28.6 percent shooting (4-of-14) in the period.

By the fourth quarter, Indiana led by 13, but the Stars weren’t surrendering. They cut the margin to seven with 2:42 left, and to six with 30.4 seconds remaining.

But a nifty, left-handed hook shot by Catchings and a 15-foot jumper by Coleman helped to hold San Antonio (3-9) at bay.

Catchings and Shenise Johnson each added 11 points for Indiana. Sophia Young-Malcolm led San Antonio with a season-high 27 points.

“It wasn’t a pretty game, but it was a good learning experience for us,” White said. “And I’m proud of the way our team really gutted it out and found a way to win.”