Larkins Turns It Loose To Lead Fever Past Connecticut

INDIANAPOLIS – Her balky right knee still gets sore at times, but that didn’t stop Erlana Larkins from producing her breakout game of the 2015 season.

The 6-foot-1 forward, a rebounding phenom during the Indiana Fever’s WNBA championship run in 2012, played like the Larkins of old Sunday. Her game-high 13 rebounds and 10 points off the bench provided a spark for an Indiana team that struggled mightily before pulling out an 83-70 victory over the visiting Connecticut Sun.

“I’m not sure if she’ll be 100 percent this season,” Indiana Coach Stephanie White said about Larkins, who sat out eight games with soreness earlier this season. “But what she showed tonight is exactly why she is such an important piece of what we do.

“(It is) her toughness, her mentality that she won’t be denied. … She’s just a huge piece of the puzzle for us.”

PHOTO GALLERY: Fever 83, Sun 70 »

Larkins said she hurt her knee late during her season in Turkey – just before reporting to Indiana’s training camp. She still deals with occasional soreness and is uncertain of her off-season plans if the knee problem persists. Meantime, Larkins knows she must play through the pain.

“Rebounding is something that’s always on my mind,” she said.

Seldom has Larkins been better than what she showed in the fourth quarter against Connecticut. She totaled six rebounds in the period, including three on successive possessions while the Fever were locking down the Sun with a 15-0 run in the final three-plus minutes.

“Tonight, you could tell she was so much more comfortable, so much more confident. A monster on the boards,” Fever forward Tamika Catchings said.

Fever rookie center Natalie Achonwa, a standout all year, left the game in the first quarter after banging her surgically-repaired knee. She returned in the second half, but wound up playing only 7 minutes.

Achonwa did nothing wrong. The lineup of veterans Larkins, Catchings, Briann January, Shavonte Zellous and Shenise Johnson was simply playing too well to replace, especially late in the fourth quarter.

The Fever outscored the visitors, 28-13, in the fourth while holding them to 3-of-13 shooting.

“We wanted those experienced players on the floor,” White said, adding that her team “made every hustle play down the stretch.”

Five Indiana players hit double-digit scoring, led by Johnson’s 16 points. On a night when the Fever needed to ramp up its effort after falling behind by 11 in the first half, it turned into a true “team” victory after halftime.

“We just had to channel our inner toughness and go out there and get it done,” Johnson said.

It was Indiana’s third straight victory and eighth in the last 10 games. The Fever are 11-8 and in fourth place in the Eastern Conference – a half-game behind Chicago, where Indiana will play on Tuesday night.

Kelsey Bone led Connecticut (9-9) with 20 points and Alyssa Thomas had 18.

Thanks in large part to Larkins, the Fever outrebounded the Sun, 37-20 – Indiana’s largest advantage of the season. The Fever also established a new season high by making 28 free throws in 30 attempts – a season-best 93.3 percentage.

“I’m really proud of the effort that we came out with in the second half,” White said. “We didn’t quite have it in the first half. … Frankly, (the Sun) were just outplaying us.

“We challenged (the Fever) at halftime to come out and really give everything they had, on every single possession. While it wasn’t always pretty and sometimes it looked like a slugfest, we really came out with tremendous energy and showed great character and toughness.”

August 2, 2015 – FeverBasketball.com’s Daniel Massa wraps up the Fever’s 83-70 victory over the Connecticut Sun. Video includes clips from Fever head coach Stephanie White and Fever players Erlana Larkins, Shenise Johnson, and Tamika Catchings.

August 2, 2015 – Fever players Erlana Larkins, Shenise Johnson, and Tamika Catchings discuss Indiana’s 83-70 victory over the Connecticut Sun.

August 2, 2015 – Fever head coach Stephanie White discusses Indiana’s 83-70 win over the Connecticut Sun.