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Indianapolis Star
a day ago
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Fever using Commissioner's Cup final to gauge identity. Money prize is a nice carrot, too
INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White can add another first-time achievement to her list Tuesday when her team plays the Minnesota Lynx in the WNBA Commissioner's Cup final. White was part of the first Purdue women's basketball national championship team, a member of the inaugural Fever team and helped lead Indiana to its only WNBA championship as an assistant coach in 2012. 'Anytime you get to be part of a first and for me at various levels… it's special,' White said. The Fever understand the magnitude of Tuesday's contest and its implication as it pertains to expanding Indiana's trophy case. But, there's something more pressing on their conscience: the $500,000 winning prize. 'I think the money has been more top of the mind for them than anything else,' White said. White added Tuesday's final, which doesn't count toward the regular-season win-loss record, offers the Fever another opportunity to learn and grow. The Fever are 8-8 and eighth in league standings. The Lynx, the defending Commissioner Cup champions, boast a WNBA-best 14-2 record. Lynx forward Napheesa Collier leads the league in scoring with 24.4 points per game and is third in rebounding with 8.5 per game. It's unknown whether the Fever will have Caitlin Clark against Minnesota. Clark is suffering from a left groin injury and told reporters after Sunday's practice she is 'day-to-day from here on out.' Clark, who is averaging 18.2 points and 8.9 assists per game, has missed the Fever's past two games due to injury. Clark also missed five games earlier this season with a left quad strain. The Fever are 3-4 this season without Clark. 'Nobody said this season was going to be perfect for us. There's always going to be ups and downs, and I think as we get moving here through All-Star, these are the moments we're going to be able to look back on and hopefully be able to give a lot of credit to for certain situations that we were in,' Clark said. 'Injuries or coaches not being here for a couple of games, everyone has been through a little bit of adversity here. Just giving our group credit for being able to stick together and know that whatever is in our locker room is really all we need to go out there and win." Clark praised her teammates for their resilience amid hardship. 'Honestly, I'm really proud of our group every single day; we come back with the same energy, the same attitude, and wanting to get better,' Clark said. 'Being in situations that have been tough and responding really well every single time is what we could always fall back on.' The Fever responded well Friday against the Dallas Wings after nearly squandering another double-digit second-half lead. Prior to their matchup against the Wings, Indiana had lost three of its past five games, despite holding a double-digit lead in the final two periods. The Lynx average 20.6 points in the fourth quarter this season, fifth best in the league. Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell acknowledged Minnesota's prowess on both ends of the floor and stressed the importance of the Fever preparing intentionally. 'Everything is important up until it tips off that night,' Mitchell said. Clark added it's a 'huge opportunity' for the Fever to play against the team that fell one game short of a WNBA title last season. While the trophy and money surely make the Commissioner's Cup final special, there's more as to why this isn't just a regular game in July. The previous three Commissioner Cup winners made the WNBA finals the year they won the in-season tournament. For Mitchell, Tuesday's contest serves as a test to see if Indiana is capable of a deep run into October. '(This game is) everything, and when I say everything as far as our culture and everything we've established over the course of this season and preseason," Mitchell said. "It's a gut check to see where we are and what we need and how we need to be to make a playoff run.' Get IndyStar's Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter. The Lynx will host Tuesday's Commissioner Cup championship against the Fever at 8 p.m. ET on Prime Video. The Commissioner's Cup is the WNBA's in-season tournament, pitting the Eastern and Western Conferences against each other. Teams played five games against different conference opponents, and those games — which are also a part of the regular season — ran from June 3-17. Eastern Conference teams included the Atlanta Dream, Connecticut Sun, Chicago Sky, Indiana Fever, New York Liberty and Washington Mystics. Western Conference Teams were the Minnesota Lynx, Phoenix Mercury, Dallas Wings, Golden State Valkyries, Seattle Storm, Los Angeles Sparks, and Las Vegas Aces. The Eastern Conference teams played five games as part of cup play, but the Western Conference teams, with the addition of the Golden State Valkyries this season, played six games in cup play. The two teams with the best cup play in their respective conferences play in the Commissioner's Cup final, which will be on July 1. In this case, the Fever and the Lynx. This game does not count toward the regular-season win-loss record.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Sabrina Ionescu Isn't Upset About New York Liberty's Big Loss
Sabrina Ionescu Isn't Upset About New York Liberty's Big Loss originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The New York Liberty's star-studded squad was missing something as the 2024 regular season came to a close. Although a team with Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart finished with a WNBA-best 32-8 record, head coach Sandy Brondello decided that rookie forward Leonie Fiebich needed to be in the starting lineup when the playoffs began. Advertisement With another lanky shooter and a strong defender on the floor in Fiebich, the Liberty rolled to the WNBA Finals and defeated the Minnesota Lynx in five games to win their first-ever championship. Brondello's plan worked so well that Fiebich has kept her starting role in 2025. The 9-0 Liberty are the W's only unbeaten team, featuring the league's best offense (114.2 offensive rating) and its best defense (90.2 defensive rating). But Brondello now has a Fiebich-sized hole to patch in the lineup, as the 25-year-old is heading to Eurobasket to play for her native Germany. The tournament, which will be held in four different European countries, begins June 18 and runs through June 29, could rule Fiebich out for the Liberty's next seven games, starting with Saturday's road game against the Indiana Fever. Advertisement On paper, it's a huge loss for an undefeated team enjoying tremendous synergy in the early stages of its title defense. But Ionescu, the Liberty's longest-tenured player, sees an opportunity amid Fiebich's absence. "We're not going to sit here and kind of pout and be upset that she had to go do that," Ionescu told the media on Friday. "I think it's just understanding we got to grind out." Winning the 2024 WNBA Finals, in which Ionescu played with a serious injury, served as confirmation that the Liberty were as resilient and as tough as they come. Those qualities have been displayed this season in tight wins over the Fever and the Golden State Valkyries, but Ionescu is embracing the challenge that awaits without Fiebich, starting with an Indiana team that will welcome back Caitlin Clark from a five-game injury absence. Advertisement Related: Sabrina Ionescu Had One Word for Vanessa Bryant This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 13, 2025, where it first appeared.
Hindustan Times
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Napheesa Collier notches fourth straight double-double as Lynx handle Mercury
Napheesa Collier notched a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds as the Minnesota Lynx cruised to an 88-65 win over the Phoenix Mercury on Tuesday night in Minneapolis. Natisha Hiedeman added 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting off the bench for Minnesota, which improved to a WNBA-best 8-0. Kayla McBride and Alanna Smith finished with 13 points apiece. Lexi Held scored 16 points off the bench to lead Phoenix . Satou Sabally scored 15 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds while Kitija Laksa scored 10 points. The Lynx outscored the Mercury 44-30 in the second half. Monique Akoa Makani made the first basket of the second half to cut Phoenix's deficit to 44-37. Minnesota responded by scoring 23 of the final 35 points in the third quarter. Jessica Shepard sank two free throws to put the Lynx on top 67-49 heading into the fourth quarter. The Mercury struggled to keep up from there. They were outscored 21-16 in the fourth quarter as they trailed by double digits for the remainder of the game. Phoenix built a 23-19 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Mercury led 15-14 when they went on an 8-0 run to seize a 23-14 advantage. Laksa made a pull-up jump shot to start the run, which also included a driving layup by Sabally, a tip shot by Lexi Held and a pair of free throws by Sabally. The Lynx scored the final five points of the first quarter to cut the deficit to four. In the second quarter, Minnesota outscored Phoenix 25-12 to grab a nine-point advantage. The Lynx scored the first nine points of the second quarter to cap a 14-0 run. Courtney Williams opened the second-quarter scoring with a jump shot before Hiedeman made a basket, Karlie Samuelson knocked down a 3-pointer and Smith added another basket to make it 28-23. Phoenix fell behind by 11 points before Akoa Makani made a jump shot with 11 seconds remaining in the first half to pull the Mercury within 44-35. Field Level Media
USA Today
04-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Indiana Fever vs. Brazil updates, highlights: How to watch Caitlin Clark's Iowa homecoming
Indiana Fever vs. Brazil updates, highlights: How to watch Caitlin Clark's Iowa homecoming Show Caption Hide Caption Caitlin Clark takes on year two in the WNBA USA TODAY's Meghan Hall breaks down what she is expecting to see from Caitlin Clark in year two in the W. Sports Seriously On Sunday, Caitlin Clark will be returning home. The Indiana Fever superstar will once again take the court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa — where she shined for four years for the Hawkeyes and became the all-time Division I career scoring leader — when her team squares off against the Brazilian women's basketball national team in a preseason game. It will be Clark's first game in the venue since a 64-54 win against West Virginia in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, a game in which Clark, the two-time national player of the year, scored 32 points. REQUIRED READING: Caitlin Clark excited for Carver-Hawkeye homecoming, warns Fever teammates about no A/C Since then, Clark led Iowa to a second consecutive national championship game appearance, became the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft and enjoyed a stellar rookie campaign in which she averaged 19.2 points and a WNBA-best 8.4 assists per game on her way to earning first-team All-WNBA honors and winning the WNBA Rookie of the Year award. Here's how to watch the Indiana Fever vs. Brazil game today, including the start time, TV schedule and streaming information: What channel is Indiana Fever vs. Brazil on today? TV channel : ESPN : ESPN Livestream: ESPN app | ESPN+ | Fubo (free trial) The Fever's game against the Brazilian national team will air on ESPN. Streaming options for the game includes the ESPN app, ESPN+ — ESPN's subscription streaming service — and Fubo, the last of which offers a free trial for potential subscribers. Watch Indiana Fever vs Brazil live with Fubo (free trial) Indiana Fever vs. Brazil start time today Date : Sunday, May 4 : Sunday, May 4 Start time : 4 p.m. ET : 4 p.m. ET Location: Carver-Hawkeye Arena (Iowa City, Iowa) The Fever and the Brazilian national team are scheduled to tip off at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 4 from Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa, on the campus of the University of Iowa. Indiana Fever vs. Brazil predictions, picks, odds This section will be updated when odds become available Prediction: Fever 109, Brazil 82 Clark and the improved roster around her will put on a show against a solid Brazilian national team, albeit one that doesn't feature an active WNBA player. REQUIRED READING: Indiana Fever will win 2025 WNBA championship... if these 5 things fall the right way Indiana Fever schedule 2025 Sunday's game against Brazil is the second of three preseason games for the Fever, who will wrap up their preseason slate on Saturday, May 10 against the Atlanta Dream. Below is a look at the Fever's first five games of the 2025 WNBA regular season. To see Indiana's full 2025 schedule, click here. All times Eastern Saturday, May 17 : vs. Chicago Sky, 3 p.m. : vs. Chicago Sky, 3 p.m. Tuesday, May 20 : vs. Atlanta Dream, 7 p.m. : vs. Atlanta Dream, 7 p.m. Thursday, May 22 : at Atlanta Dream, 7:30 p.m. : at Atlanta Dream, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 24 : vs. New York Liberty, 1 p.m. : vs. New York Liberty, 1 p.m. Wednesday, May 28: at Washington Mystics, 7:30 p.m. We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn't influence our coverage.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Indiana Fever Coach Shares Major Concern About Upcoming Game
On Sunday the Indiana Fever will face Brazil at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in what will be the first WNBA preseason game nationally televised on ESPN. In a media session on Thursday, Fever head coach Stephanie White offered a candid preview of Caitlin Clark's upcoming return to Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Advertisement Clark finished her collegiate career at Iowa with 3,951 points, the most in NCAA Division I history for men or women. White said, "I anticipate it being a little crazy. I think it's gonna be exciting… I didn't know there's no air conditioning. So yeah, we're gonna have to work through that and make sure we stay hydrated. But what an experience for those fans." At Iowa, Clark shattered single-season and career marks for 3-pointers and assists, earning two National Player of the Year awards and leading the Hawkeyes to back-to-back national championship games in 2023 and 2024. Selected No. 1 overall by the Fever in 2024, Clark seamlessly transitioned to the pros, averaging 19.2 points and a WNBA-best 8.4 assists per game. Advertisement She also led the league with 122 made 3-pointers and recorded the first triple-double by a rookie in WNBA history. Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White.© Mykal McEldowney/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Clark was a near-unanimous choice for WNBA Rookie of the Year and was named both Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year and Time's 2024 Athlete of the Year. She also became the first rookie since Candace Parker in 2008 to make the All-WNBA First Team. All 15,000 tickets for Clark's homecoming on Sunday sold out in under 45 minutes. Related: Former Iowa Star Gabbie Marshall Upset About New Caitlin Clark Announcement Related: Paige Bueckers' Interaction With Former UConn Teammate Sparks Dating Rumors
