logo
Led by Natasha Howard, Fever top Lynx in WNBA Commissioner's Cup

Led by Natasha Howard, Fever top Lynx in WNBA Commissioner's Cup

GMA Network3 days ago
Jul 1, 2025; Indiana Fever forward Natasha Howard holds up the MVP trophy after defeating the Minnesota Lynx during the Commissioner's Cup final at Target Center. (Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images/REUTERS)
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Indiana Fever headed home with a trophy Tuesday night.
Granted, the achievement was not nearly as prestigious as winning a league championship. But after the Fever pulled away for a 74-59 win over the Minnesota Lynx to win the WNBA's Commissioner's Cup, which included a $500,000 prize pool, everyone on the team felt like celebrating.
"It's nice to take a trophy home," Fever coach Stephanie White said. "But this isn't the ultimate goal. It's a goal. We've got to continue to get better."
The Fever hope that the high-profile win serves as a turning point in what has been an up-and-down season.
Indiana played without Caitlin Clark, who remained out because of a groin injury. Clark watched the game from the bench and raised her arms in celebration at the final buzzer.
Natasha Howard was named Most Valuable Player of the in-season tourney after scoring 16 points and grabbing 12 rebounds for Indiana. Aliyah Boston also notched a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Sophie Cunningham scored 13 points off the bench.
Alanna Smith scored 15 points to lead Minnesota, which fell short in its goal to win back-to-back Commissioner's Cup trophies. Napheesa Collier scored 12 points, and Courtney Williams had 11.
White praised her players for rising to the moment without Clark, their playmaking All-Star.
"They're learning how to play together," White said. "They're learning how to make plays for one another. Caitlin's someone who often makes plays for them, and they're learning how to do it for one another."
As the Fever celebrated, the Lynx vowed to turn the loss into a positive.
"it's good to look at it as a learning opportunity and with a growth mindset," Smith said. "We're in a position where it doesn't affect our standings, but we still want to hold it in a place where it means something to us. We always want to play our best basketball.
"We have to take this game to heart and learn from the mistakes that we made in this game, the way that we showed up, the way that we prepared, and make sure we don't do it again."
The Lynx tried to erase a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter but struggled to find a rhythm on offense. After Jessica Shepard made a basket to close the gap to 52-45 with 8:45 to play, the Fever scored the next six points to re-establish a 13-point advantage.
Indiana led 52-42 at the end of the third quarter.
The Fever built their lead to as many as 14 points in the third quarter. Aari McDonald knocked down a 3-pointer to make it 48-34 with 3:01 to go.
The Fever led 32-27 at the half.
Indiana trailed by as many as 13 points in the first half but ended the second quarter on an 18-0 run. The Lynx went the last 8:13 of the first half without scoring a point.
"We slowed down a little bit and started making the easy play instead of trying to make home run plays," White said. "I felt like we let our offense work."
McDonald made a layup to start the scoring run for the Fever, who rallied from a 27-14 deficit. Cunningham knocked down a 3-pointer from the left corner to give Indiana a 28-27 edge with 2:13 remaining in the half.
Howard made four free throws to finish the first-half scoring for the Fever.
Indiana shot 42.9 percent (27 of 63) overall and 42.1 percent (8 of 19) from 3-point range. Minnesota shot 34.9 percent (22 of 63) from the field and 25 percent (4 of 16) from beyond the arc.
Collier missed 12 of her 18 shots with Howard providing pesky defense throughout the game.
"I knew I had had a handful with Collier," Howard said. "She's a great player. My thing was just limit her to hard shots, and that's what I did today. I made it uncomfortable for her, but at the end of day she was still going to get her buckets.
"I couldn't do it by myself. I had to have my teammates behind me helping me out, as well."
--Tom Musick, Field Level Media/Reuters
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Caitlin Clark: WNBA Commissioner's Cup pay 'makes no sense'
Caitlin Clark: WNBA Commissioner's Cup pay 'makes no sense'

GMA Network

time2 days ago

  • GMA Network

Caitlin Clark: WNBA Commissioner's Cup pay 'makes no sense'

Jul 1, 2025; Caitlin Clark puts on a Commissioner's Cup Champions hat after defeating the Minnesota Lynx at Target Center. (Photo: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images/REUTERS) WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark took time out of celebrating her Indiana Fever's Commissioner's Cup win to call out the desire for better pay for the league's athletes. The injured Clark didn't play in the Fever's win Tuesday over the Minnesota Lynx, but in the postgame celebration on Instagram livestream, she pointed out the disparity in the financial rewards for winning the Commissioner's Cup and winning the WNBA Finals. "You get more (money) for this than you do if you're the (WNBA Finals) champion," Clark said to the camera Tuesday night. "It makes no sense. Someone tell (WNBA commissioner) Cathy (Engelbert) to help us out." Each rostered player on the winning Commissioner's Cup team earned up to $30,000 as part of the majority portion of the $500,000 purse, per multiple reports. For comparison, players on the team that wins the WNBA championship reportedly receive $20,825. In another postgame video Tuesday, Clark referred to the in-season tournament final as the "Cathy Cup." Clark's comments come as WNBA players are negotiating for a new collective bargaining agreement amid surging popularity in the league. The WNBA registered its highest attendance in 26 years for an opening month to the season as well as record TV ratings. The league announced in June that 400,000 fans attended games since the season tipped off on May 14 through the end of the month, its highest since nearly the league's inception; the WNBA began play in 1997. Further, more than half of all WNBA games were sellouts, a 156 percent increase year over year, according to the release. Additionally, games are averaging 1.32 million viewers across all network partners, nearly tripling last season's average (462,000 viewers), per the league's June 10 release. Clark won't be back on the court when the Fever return to action Thursday against the visiting Las Vegas Aces. She will miss her fourth game in a row (counting the non-regular-season Commissioner's Cup final) because of a left groin ailment. A strained left quad kept Clark out for five games from May 28-June 10. --Field Level Media/Reuters

Led by Natasha Howard, Fever top Lynx in WNBA Commissioner's Cup
Led by Natasha Howard, Fever top Lynx in WNBA Commissioner's Cup

GMA Network

time3 days ago

  • GMA Network

Led by Natasha Howard, Fever top Lynx in WNBA Commissioner's Cup

Jul 1, 2025; Indiana Fever forward Natasha Howard holds up the MVP trophy after defeating the Minnesota Lynx during the Commissioner's Cup final at Target Center. (Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images/REUTERS) MINNEAPOLIS -- The Indiana Fever headed home with a trophy Tuesday night. Granted, the achievement was not nearly as prestigious as winning a league championship. But after the Fever pulled away for a 74-59 win over the Minnesota Lynx to win the WNBA's Commissioner's Cup, which included a $500,000 prize pool, everyone on the team felt like celebrating. "It's nice to take a trophy home," Fever coach Stephanie White said. "But this isn't the ultimate goal. It's a goal. We've got to continue to get better." The Fever hope that the high-profile win serves as a turning point in what has been an up-and-down season. Indiana played without Caitlin Clark, who remained out because of a groin injury. Clark watched the game from the bench and raised her arms in celebration at the final buzzer. Natasha Howard was named Most Valuable Player of the in-season tourney after scoring 16 points and grabbing 12 rebounds for Indiana. Aliyah Boston also notched a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Sophie Cunningham scored 13 points off the bench. Alanna Smith scored 15 points to lead Minnesota, which fell short in its goal to win back-to-back Commissioner's Cup trophies. Napheesa Collier scored 12 points, and Courtney Williams had 11. White praised her players for rising to the moment without Clark, their playmaking All-Star. "They're learning how to play together," White said. "They're learning how to make plays for one another. Caitlin's someone who often makes plays for them, and they're learning how to do it for one another." As the Fever celebrated, the Lynx vowed to turn the loss into a positive. "it's good to look at it as a learning opportunity and with a growth mindset," Smith said. "We're in a position where it doesn't affect our standings, but we still want to hold it in a place where it means something to us. We always want to play our best basketball. "We have to take this game to heart and learn from the mistakes that we made in this game, the way that we showed up, the way that we prepared, and make sure we don't do it again." The Lynx tried to erase a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter but struggled to find a rhythm on offense. After Jessica Shepard made a basket to close the gap to 52-45 with 8:45 to play, the Fever scored the next six points to re-establish a 13-point advantage. Indiana led 52-42 at the end of the third quarter. The Fever built their lead to as many as 14 points in the third quarter. Aari McDonald knocked down a 3-pointer to make it 48-34 with 3:01 to go. The Fever led 32-27 at the half. Indiana trailed by as many as 13 points in the first half but ended the second quarter on an 18-0 run. The Lynx went the last 8:13 of the first half without scoring a point. "We slowed down a little bit and started making the easy play instead of trying to make home run plays," White said. "I felt like we let our offense work." McDonald made a layup to start the scoring run for the Fever, who rallied from a 27-14 deficit. Cunningham knocked down a 3-pointer from the left corner to give Indiana a 28-27 edge with 2:13 remaining in the half. Howard made four free throws to finish the first-half scoring for the Fever. Indiana shot 42.9 percent (27 of 63) overall and 42.1 percent (8 of 19) from 3-point range. Minnesota shot 34.9 percent (22 of 63) from the field and 25 percent (4 of 16) from beyond the arc. Collier missed 12 of her 18 shots with Howard providing pesky defense throughout the game. "I knew I had had a handful with Collier," Howard said. "She's a great player. My thing was just limit her to hard shots, and that's what I did today. I made it uncomfortable for her, but at the end of day she was still going to get her buckets. "I couldn't do it by myself. I had to have my teammates behind me helping me out, as well." --Tom Musick, Field Level Media/Reuters

Javi Gomez de Liaño, Ian Miller join Strong Group in Jones Cup
Javi Gomez de Liaño, Ian Miller join Strong Group in Jones Cup

GMA Network

time5 days ago

  • GMA Network

Javi Gomez de Liaño, Ian Miller join Strong Group in Jones Cup

Javi Gomez de Liaño and Ian Miller have been tapped to join Strong Group Athletics' title defense bid in the 2025 William Jones Cup set from July 12 to 20 at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City, Taiwan. The two additions will join a stacked lineup headlined by local stars Kiefer Ravena, Rhenz Abando, Jason Brickman, Dave Ildefonso, Ange Kouame, Geo Chiu, and reigning NCAA MVP Allen Liwag. 'These are excellent additions to our team,' said head coach Charles Tiu. 'Javi and Ian bring high-level experience and versatility. They'll really complement the core group we already have.' The 26-year-old Gomez de Liaño is heading into his second year with Korean club Anyang. He posted averages of 8.4 points and 2.7 rebounds in his debut campaign. American reinforcement Miller, meanwhile, saw action in the Basketball Champions League Asia and was named the MVP in the Asia-East division after averaging 17.9 points on 44.1% shooting, alongside 2.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists. 'He's coming off an impressive run in BCL Asia, so we're excited to bring that firepower to our backcourt,' said Tiu. SGA will kick off its campaign for back-to-back championships on July 13 against Chinese-Taipei A, followed by matchups against Japan's Under-25 team, Qatar, Australia, Chinese-Taipei B, Malaysia, Bahrain, and UAE. —Bea Micaller/JMB, GMA Integrated News

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store