Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White was elated after the team committed a season-low seven turnovers in Caitlin Clark’s absence on Sunday against the Las Vegas Aces. It was one of the crucial factors leading to Indiana’s 84-68 win, its first-ever on the road against the defending champions.
The Fever released a locker-room video of White addressing her players and what went right for them.
“I’m sure this has to be a season-low seven turnovers,” she said. “You take care of the ball, you give yourselves a chance, right?”
White hailed the Fever for excelling on offensive rebounds, too.
“13 offensive rebounds, extra possessions matter,” she said.
The Indiana Fever have averaged 14.9 turnovers in 20 games. Before Sunday, they had yet to record a game with fewer than 10 turnovers. The Fever’s previous season low was 11 turnovers, which they achieved twice. Once on May 15 in the 104-102 loss to the Washington Mystics and May 28 in the 90-88 loss to the Golden State Valkyries.
The Fever’s big three of Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell have averaged 9.4 turnovers among them combined. Clark alone has lost the ball 4.6 times per contest. Clark plays at an unusually quick pace, which often leads to her high turnover rate. She’s also guarded heavily with the ball in her hands, making her turnover-prone.
On Sunday, the Fever didn’t have to endure that. It contributed to their success in protecting the ball. Mitchell and Boston also played some of their best basketball this season.
Mitchell scored 27 points and had one turnover. Aliyah Boston added 18 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks, while shooting 53.8% from the field, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range. She committed only one turnover as well. Monique Billings was the only player to commit more than one turnover for the Fever.
Former NCAA coach finds it “odd” that Fever play well without Caitlin Clark
Former NCAA coach Dan Dakich expressed that he was surprised by the Fever’s excellent play in Caitlin Clark’s absence. Before Sunday’s blowout win over the Aces, the Fever beat the Los Angeles Sparks 111-87 on June 27 without Clark.
“It appears @IndianaFever play better sans Caitlin Clark… very odd,” Dakich said.
It’s worth noting that the Fever also made the semifinals last year despite Clark playing only 13 games and not appearing in the playoffs. They took the eventual champion, Las Vegas, to five games and lost the decider in overtime.
However, it’s worth noting that this year, the Fever’s opponents in Clark’s absence have been either shorthanded or not among the best. Their first win in her absence came against the Portland Fire, an expansion team, who they beat 90-73. Portland is 12th in the league with a 9-12 record as of Sunday.
The last two wins against the Sparks and Aces saw Los Angeles play without Kelsey Plum, its leading scorer and the league’s second-highest scorer. On Sunday, Las Vegas was without reigning MVP A’ja Wilson, the league’s leading scorer. Wilson also makes a great deal of difference on the defensive end, so the Fever benefited both ways.
Read more:
- “Wrecking Their Own Sport”: Fox Sports Anchor Rips WNBA After Caitlin Clark Publicly Defends Alyssa Thomas
- Paige Bueckers Joins Exclusive Club With 7x WNBA All-Star After 5th Straight 20-Point Game on 50% Shooting
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in tennis, college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, and college baseball!
