INDIANAPOLIS — Minutes after a first-half lead was gone and Minnesota Lynx broke the Indiana FeverThe five-game winning streak, 99-88The Fever veterans made sure their younger teammates took a moment to really soak in what had just happened.
At 25-9, only the New York Liberty are above the Lynx in the standings. The Lynx have their sights set on a WNBA championship. Fever The Lynx have clinched their first playoff berth in 16 years, but they know their goal isn’t just to make the playoffs. The Fever, who have already started, dream of one day winning a WNBA championship. To reach the top, they must study teams like the Lynx and learn what it takes to become title contenders.
Fever score: The Fever lose their cool — and the game — in the third quarter, falling to the Lynx 99-88
“That was the conversation in our locker room between our veterans like Temi (Fagbenle) and Katie Lou (Samuelson), they definitely said that was the norm,” the Fever goalkeeper said. Kelsey Mitchell “We want to compete at the next level and be part of a playoff run, not just get there, not just be part of it, but make a run and make an impact.
“We’ll have to use that as leverage and know that (the Lynx) are the best, and to beat the best you have to compete every night. I think we’ll take the film on a positive note and keep moving forward.”
The Lynx took advantage of a 29-12 third quarter to regain control of the game from the Fever. Indiana cut its deficit to one point twice in the fourth quarter, but both times the Lynx answered with three-pointers, first from the goal line. Courtney Williams and then Bridget CarletonIn the third quarter, Caitlin ClarkKelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston scored all 12 points for the Fever on 3-of-12 shooting.
Throughout Indiana’s five-game winning streak, a player outside the Fever’s Big Three made key plays to impact the game. Lexie Hull‘s energy and good rebounds regularly create additional possessions in attack. NaLyssa Smith finding his groove on weak-side defense while making his limited touches in the post count. Hull had another solid all-around game, scoring eight points, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals, but foul trouble limited his ability to play aggressive defense. Smith struggled to find his offense, finishing with two points on 1-of-7 shooting. Clark, Mitchell and Boston combined for 68 of Indiana’s 88 points.
“A balanced attack is always more effective than a one- or two-man attack,” Hull said. “Really good teams have everybody as a threat, and we’re fortunate to have that. So we’ve got to make sure we find the right hand and continue to score where we’re scoring and do what works throughout the game.”
NEWSLETTER: Get the best fever coverage delivered straight to your inbox
Boston made her presence felt early, scoring eight points in the first quarter, making all four of her shots. The sophomore scored just 12 more points the rest of the way, as the Lynx sent her multiple players into the paint and the Fever stuck to outside shots. Clark and Mitchell can catch fire from deep, but Fever coach Christie Sides knows their offense works best when it plays from the inside out.
“We’re second or first in the league in scoring in the paint. We tied Minnesota, who’s not very good at it. I think they’re maybe 11th or 12th,” Sides said. “We’ve got to take advantage of where we have the advantage. I think there were times where we just had to come down, execute, get a touch in the paint and then play outside of that.”
“We took a couple shots early in the game that didn’t go our way, and then the long shots ended up being long bounces, which are tough to recover from in transition defense.”
This article was originally published on the Indianapolis Star: Fever vs Lynx: Indiana sees what it will take to qualify for the playoffs
