By Sabreena Merchant and Ben Pickman
Jun 11, 2024
The Connecticut Sun are back to their winning ways.
After suffering their first regular-season loss to the New York Liberty on Saturday, the Sun responded in dominant fashion Monday night, routing the Indiana Fever 89-72. Indiana had a brief lead at 7-5, but Connecticut gained control with a DeWanna Bonner 3-pointer and didn’t trail for the final 37 minutes.
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This was the third meeting of the year between the Sun and the Fever, and the young Fever hoped they were closing the gap after turning a 21-point loss on opening night into a four-point defeat one week later. Instead, the margin between the two teams has increased again, with Connecticut firmly in championship contention and Indiana fighting to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
The Sun let go of the rope in the second half after the lead crested to 28 but still had five players finish with at least 10 points and had 22 assists to 10 turnovers.
Even as the Sun raced out to a 9-0 record, coach Steph White was disappointed that more than half of those wins came by single digits. She wanted the Sun to play with more consistency and establish a higher standard. Monday’s effort, even if against one of the worst teams in the league, has Connecticut on the right track.
The Fever came into this matchup with a little momentum, having won two of their previous three games. But they put up a defensive stinker, falling behind by 20 points in the first half as they allowed the Sun to shoot 61 percent from the field and 6 of 8 on 3-pointers.
Fever coach Christie Sides called out her team’s effort in the loss.
“I’m gonna start with how you can’t, at this level, coach effort,” she said. “I felt like we were just asking them to keep playing hard … you can’t play in this league if you have to coach effort.”
She added: “I think (improved effort) is going to start with them. We’re here to build a road map for them to be successful, and that’s on them. They’ve got to figure that one out.”
Carrington remains a matchup nightmare for Clark, Fever
DiJonai Carrington stole Caitlin Clark’s mojo on opening night, as her physical defense disrupted the rookie in her first pro game and set the tone for what Clark has seen throughout the first third of the season. One month later, Clark and the Fever still don’t have answers for Carrington.
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She was aggressive in her coverage of Clark yet again, limiting her to 10 points, though only three turnovers. As the Fever labored to stay within 20 points in the second half, coach Christie Sides benched Clark in the third quarter and didn’t bring her back in, saving Clark from having to deal with the full-court pressure from the Sun.
Carrington also gave the Indiana defense fits. She ran the floor hard in transition and was the target for multiple outlets after Connecticut stops. She got to the basket easily, as all but three of her 11 shot attempts came directly at the rim. Carrington had a game-high three steals, punctuated by one at the end of the second quarter that she converted into a fast-break bucket at the halftime buzzer. — Sabreena Merchant, WNBA staff writer
Precision on defense and urgency on the break!
Racing down the floor before the horn sounds, DiJonai Carrington's bucket is GOOOOOOD
WNBA Commissioner's Cup presented by @coinbase | League Pass pic.twitter.com/uf63NIoKJK
— WNBA (@WNBA) June 10, 2024
Fever’s first-quarter woes continue
As has been the case for most of the season, the Fever spent the majority of the contest playing from behind. Entering the game, Indiana had recorded a league-worst 114.7 defensive rating in the first quarter and a league-worst negative 23.8 net rating in the opening frame. Against Connecticut, Indiana trailed by only three points at the 5:08 mark of the first quarter, but Connecticut closed the period on a 14-3 run to blow the game open. It created a margin Indiana wouldn’t overcome.
Connecticut established its paint presence in the first quarter, making five of its six field goal attempts, and hitting three of its first four 3-pointers as well. The Sun’s performance in the first set the stage for what was to come — Connecticut shot 50 percent from 3-point range. — Ben Pickman, WNBA staff writer
Foul trouble plagues Clark again
In Clark’s WNBA debut against the Sun on May 14, the star guard dealt with foul trouble. She picked up two in the first quarter and finished with four on the night. When the teams met on May 20, Clark picked up five fouls (though she finished with 17 points and five assists).
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Yet again Clark dealt with foul trouble when playing Connecticut. It impacted Indiana’s rotations and defense as it limited Clark’s aggressiveness on that end of the floor. Sun guards continued to put Clark in pick-and-roll action and attacked her on downhill drives. Carrington, in particular, scored 15 points in the opener, 13 points on May 20 and a team-high 22 on seven of 11 shooting on Monday night.
On the offensive end, Clark logged career-lows in assists (two) and rebounds (zero) while playing a career-low 22 minutes. — Pickman
What’s next for the Fever?
One bright spot for the Fever was center Aliyah Boston, who finished with a 14-point, 12-rebound double-double. It was just the second time this year that Boston recorded 10-plus points and rebounds. She’ll look to replicate that success Thursday when Indiana closes out its five-game Commissioner’s Cup stretch against the Atlanta Dream.
Aliyah Boston with the emphatic block ❌ pic.twitter.com/k3E7V1jTRQ
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) June 11, 2024
In theory, the upcoming schedule presents a stretch in which Indiana can make up some ground in the standings. It faces the Dream and Chicago Sky twice, and the Washington Mystics once over their next five games. At 3-10, Indiana has much to improve upon. The Fever are 0-7 against the New York Liberty, Las Vegas Aces and Sun and 3-3 in their other six games. — Pickman
Required reading
- Is Caitlin Clark or Angel Reese the top newcomer so far? WNBA rookie rankings
- Leaving Caitlin Clark off Team USA was reasonable roster move with gold-medal focus
- Liberty win sixth straight game, hand Sun first loss of season behind Jonquel Jones’ rim protection
- WNBA power rankings: Brittney Griner’s 2024 debut boosts Phoenix Mercury
(Photo: David Butler II / USA Today)
