INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A’ja Wilson scored 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, Candace Parker made two free throws with 24 seconds left and the Las Vegas Aces beat the Indiana Fever 84-80 Sunday to extend its franchise record for consecutive wins to open a season.
The Aces (6-0), who trailed by 10 points after Indiana’s Kelsey Mitchell hit a 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter, closed the game on a 23-9 run.
Las Vegas used an 11-1 run capped by a Chelsea Gray’s three-point play that made it 72-all with 4:03 to play. Erica Wheeler answered with a layup and her 3 with 2:32 remaining gave the Fever a five-point lead but after Kelsey Plum scored inside for the Aces, Jackie Young made back-to-back layups to make it 80-79.
Aliyah Boston tied it by making the second of two free throws for Indiana with 47.1 to go, but Parker’s foul shots put the Aces in front.
Mitchell missed a layup with 15 seconds left and Las Vegas dribbled the clock down until Alysha Clark was fouled with 1.7 seconds left and hit two free throws to seal the game.
Mitchell led Indiana (1-4) with 22 points, hitting five of six 3-point attempts. Wheeler added 15. Boston got into foul trouble and had just seven points and four rebounds in her first matchup against Wilson — pitting the two former Gamecocks who were No. 1 picks.
Young scored 18 points and Gray added 17 with eight rebounds and seven assists for Las Vegas.
The Aces had their WNBA record for consecutive games scoring at least 90 points stopped at five games.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indiana Fever center Aliyah Boston has been named the WNBA’s Rookie of the Month for the month of May.
Boston leads all rookies in scoring (15.8 ppg) and minutes played (27.0 mpg) through the first month of the regular season.
This past Tuesday, Boston, the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s WNBA Draft, scored a career-high 20 points during the Fever’s loss to Connecticut.
It’s the second time in franchise history that a rookie on the Fever has received this WNBA Rookie of the Month honor. The only other Fever player besides Boston to receive it was Natalie Achonwa back in June 2015.
Indiana is back in action Sunday at home against the Las Vegas Aces. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. EDT at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
ATLANTA (AP) — NaLyssa Smith scored 23 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to help the Indiana Fever end a WNBA record-tying 20-game losing streak with a 90-87 win over the Atlanta Dream on Sunday.
The Fever had lost 20 in a row dating back to last season to tie the Tulsa Shock for the most consecutive losses all-time. Indiana lost its final 18 games last season before dropping its first two this year.
The game featured seven ties and 20 lead changes and the outcome was hanging in the balance when the Fever had a successful coach’s challenge with 16.7 seconds left while holding an 88-87 lead.
After an Indiana miss, Alyssa Gray took the long rebound quickly downcourt and drove on Kelsey Mitchell. A foul was called but Fever coach Christie Sides challenged it. After a review, officials determined there wasn’t enough contact to warrant a foul.
Indiana got the ball out of bounds and after a miss, Mitchell snared the offensive rebound and was fouled. She made two free throws with 13.2 seconds left and Rhyne Howard was well off the mark for an Atlanta 3-pointer in the closing seconds.
Mitchell scored 15 points and No. 1 overall draft pick Aliyah Boston added 13 for Indiana (1-2).
Howard led Atlanta (1-2) with 23 points, Cheyenne Gray had 21 and Gray 19.
Gray gave Atlanta its last lead at 82-81 with a 3-pointer but Vivian Vivians answered that with a 3, her only basket of the game, with 3:57 to play. Smith’s basket with less than 50 seconds to go put the Fever up 88-85 before Howard made two free throws, setting up the finish.
The Dream went 16 of 19 from the foul line, outscoring the Fever by a dozen, to open a 47-41 lead at the half. Atlanta finished 29 of 34 for a plus-20 at the stripe but was outrebounded 41-29.
NEW YORK (AP) — The Indiana Fever are just focusing on this season and not dwelling on the past.
Indiana (0-2) lost its 20th consecutive game dating to last year with Sunday’s 90-73 loss to New York. That tied the Tulsa Shock for the longest losing skid in WNBA history. Indiana also owns the third-longest losing streak
“We poured our mess out in our first team meeting,” Indiana first-year head coach Christie Sides said. “We’re not talking about last year. We’ve got to figure out how to find that win.”
Indiana hopes that victory comes next Sunday in its next game when the Fever visit Atlanta.
“(We’re) 0-2. That’s all that matters,” Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell said. “I can’t help what history says. (Stinks) to be a part of it. I feel we are in transition and changing and I do my best to lean on that.”
Mitchell was part of the team last season that lost its final 18 games. She already feels a shift in the organization.
“Culture has been big for our program and organization,” she said. “I think from an internal standpoint, we’ve changed in such a positive way.”
With nine first- and second-year players on the roster, including No. 1 pick Aliyah Boston, the Fever are excited for the future. Boston, who had a tremendous amount of success in college playing for Dawn Staley at South Carolina, had 15 points in Sunday’s loss.
“I’d say there is nothing but positivity around here right now,” said Fever second-year forward NaLyssa Smith, who had 16 points and 12 rebounds Sunday. “Everyone is excited for our future.”
While the team knows the future is bright, Sides wasn’t happy with the present. Indiana got off to another slow start for a third straight game.
The Fever trailed New York by 22 after one quarter. That came after Indiana was down by nine at the end of the first quarter against Connecticut in the opener Friday. Indiana also struggled in a preseason game against Dallas, getting off to a slow start as well.
“This is our third straight start where we got off to a bad start in the first quarter,” Sides said. “We can’t keep digging ourselves a hole in the first quarter.”
Sides also wasn’t happy with the defensive effort of her team.
“If you can’t play defense you can’t play for the Fever,” she said. “At this point, we’ve got to establish our defense at the defensive end of the court. That’s what we’re going to do and there’s going to be five people that are gonna play in the game that can do that.”
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — DeWanna Bonner scored 19 points, Alyssa Thomas had 18 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, and the Connecticut Sun held off No. 1 pick Aliyah Boston and the Indiana Fever 70-61 on Friday night to begin the WNBA season.
Former Indiana coach Stephanie White got the win in her Connecticut debut after replacing Curt Miller, who took the Sun to the WNBA Finals last season.
Connecticut led by 15 points after three quarters but Indiana scored the opening 10 points of the fourth to cut its deficit to 58-53. The Sun eventually scored with 3:06 left on Bonner’s fast-break layup.
Boston, the top pick in the WNBA draft, scored the next four points to get Indiana within 60-57. But Thomas scored six points in 70 seconds to keep Connecticut in front.
Kelsey Mitchell scored 15 of Indiana’s 28 first-half points and finished with 20 points. Boston added 15 points and nine rebounds.
Brionna Jones added 13 points and nine rebounds for Connecticut despite fouling out with 4:06 left in the fourth. Starters Tiffany Hayes and Natisha Hiedeman combined to shoot just 3 of 19.
Connecticut opened the game on a 12-1 run as Indiana didn’t make its first field goal until the 3:29 mark. The Sun extended it to 25-11 after scoring six of the opening seven points of the second quarter. Indiana got within 35-28 at halftime despite shooting just 25% from the field.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — “When you know, you know,” reads Saturday’s Tweet from Indiana Fever, announcing that the team’s guard, Erica Wheeler, proposed to her girlfriend, Danielle Edwards.
The proposal came after the team’s 90-83 win against the Dallas Wings Saturday night.
The video post shows Wheeler’s nerves leading up to the surprise. She still gives the camera a sneak peek of the ring, saying, “She’s the one, man. When you know, you know, and I have that feeling.”
With the help of both Wheeler’s and Edwards’ families, friends, and teammates, she surprised her “already nosy” and “suspicious” girlfriend with a ring outside of Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
There were tears all around as Edwards said, “Yes.”
Several team members shared their congratulations in the video. Fever forward Nalyssa Smith said in the video, “You know, I love love, especially when it’s coming from my teammates. So, this is a great experience for her, and congratulations.”
Wheeler also announced the proposal on her Instagram with a photo of the two kissing with the caption, “My FIANCÉ.”
Edwards also has a history in basketball, playing for the Clemson University Tigers Women’s Basketball team from 2015 to 2019. She is one of three players in the program’s history to reach over 1,000 career points.
Edwards is the current assistant coach of the Southern Methodist University Mustangs Women’s Basketball team, and is also the team’s assistant recruiting coordinator.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indiana Fever are just nine days away from the season opener in Gainbridge Fieldhouse. It will be the beginning of a new era for the Fever with first-year head coach Christie Sides at the helm.
“I know Christie is going to change the culture of Indiana Fever basketball. That’s why I’m here,” seven-year veteran Erica Wheeler says.
New coach. New players. New energy. The Indiana Fever are refreshed and ready to go.
“The culture she’s bringing is energetic, fun, and competitive. We needed that,” guard Victoria Vivians said. “The past couple years, three years, it hasn’t been that. I feel like she’s bringing all of that to us. The culture is like I said, it’s so much better. It’s fun to come here. It’s not like I’m coming to work anymore.”
Make no mistake — the Fever are still putting in plenty of work. They’re one of the youngest teams in the league, and that’s not lost on general manager Lin Dunn.
“It reminds me of a kindergarten,” Dunn said. “You’ve got babies, then you got some toddlers, then you got a few that actually need to graduate from kindergarten. You have to be patient with those babies. You have to give them a chance just like you do a baby. They crawl, they walk, they run. You can’t get too frustrated when they’re going through that growing process.”
To be specific, 11 of the 15 players currently on the Indiana Fever roster are starting their first or second season in the WNBA. One of those is this year’s first overall draft pick Aliyah Boston, although she’s not acting like it.
“She has surprised me in a lot of ways,” head coach Christie Sides said. “She’s going to do exactly what we’re asking her to do. She’s going to do it to the best of her ability hard. She’s picking up the defense. The speed and the quickness and the strength of this league is different for her, so she’s trying to figure that out, but she’s just been a dominant figure on both sides already.”
“I feel like I’m ready for this level,” said Boston, after shooting 4-for-5 with eight points in 16 minutes in the preseason game against the Sky Sunday. “Playing against Chicago gave me a little taste of what it’s like. I felt like I was able to find my way throughout the entire game. So just being able to continue to communicate and dominate in the post.”
“You know, these players are young. We’re hungry to win. We’re hungry to prove ourselves as individuals and as a team, as a franchise,” said guard Grace Berger, who was this year’s seventh overall draft pick from Indiana. “Just you know, having a first-year coach along with that, there’s just a lot of excitement from top to bottom.”
The Fever brings that excitement to Gainbridge Fieldhouse Saturday for the final preseason game before the real fun begins May 19.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – The Indiana Fever announced on Wednesday that it has waived forward Emily Engstler.
Engstler was selected by the team with the fourth overall pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft.
Last season, she averaged 5.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.1 blocks per game.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Aliyah Boston has arrived in Indianapolis.
The No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft made her first trip as a member of the Indiana Fever during the weekend, and the franchise was ready to welcome her with open arms.
Fever General Manager Lin Dunn and Head Coach Christie Sides were among those who greeted Boston on Saturday at Indianapolis International Airport.
“It was pretty cool,” Boston said with a big smile. “I told them that if knew they were going to be at the gate I would have packed lighter. Coach Sides took my bag, and I said, ‘I know it’s heavy.’ I absolutely knew that but it was super exciting to see them.”
On Monday morning, Boston made was officially introduced at her new home arena, Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
It’s been a whirlwind 48 hours for the future face of the franchise, including when she saw herself on a billboard on her way into town. “To see my name on that billboard was so cool. I sent it to my entire family group chat. I was like, ‘look, look.’ My Mom was like, ‘This is amazing.’ She was like, ‘Call me right now!’ I said, ‘No, Mom. I’m still with them,'” Boston said and laughed.
After meeting with the media, Boston wasted no time, immediately starting her first workout with the Fever on Salesforce Court.
The team’s first exhibition game is set for May 7 in Chicago against the Sky.
NEW YORK (AP) — The Indiana Fever made the most of the first No. 1 draft pick in franchise history, selecting Aliyah Boston.
The South Carolina star had a stellar college career, leading the Gamecocks to a national championship her junior year, losing only nine games total and helping her team to three Final Four appearances. The 6-foot-5 Boston was a three-time Associated Press All-American and also the Player of the Year as a junior.
“It’s really special, I’m thankful to God for putting me in this position,” said the 21-year-old Boston, from the U.S. Virgin Islands. “Everyone in Indiana, they saw something in me, I’m ready to get there and get to work.”
The Fever had the worst record in the league last season, going 5-31.
“Aliyah Boston will have an immediate impact on our franchise on and off the court,” Fever GM Lin Dunn said. ‘We are excited to pair her with Kelsey (Mitchell) and NaLyssa (Smith) as we reload the Indiana Fever. We are very impressed with Aliyah’s post skills as well as her natural leadership skills. This a a great day for our franchise!”
Boston, like many other players, have had to choose whether to return to college for a fifth season because of the extra year granted for the COVID-19 virus or turn pro. She decided to enter the WNBA draft, joining 111 other players to declare.
“Everyone that has a COVID year has a tough choice,” Boston said. “You could be somewhere you know the system. … It took a lot of thought.”
She was one of three South Carolina players taken in the first round. Laeticia Amihere went eighth to Atlanta and Zia Cooke 10th to Los Angeles. It’s the 10th time that three players from the same team were drafted in the opening round, and the first since Oregon had three in 2020.
The Gamecocks also had two other players drafted, with Brea Beal going 24th to Minnesota and Victaria Saxton picked next by Indiana.
“It’s amazing experience really, because this group of girls have been through life together,” Amihere said. “These four years haven’t been only about basketball. Being able to be with them on one of our biggest nights is an amazing experience.”
Minnesota took Diamond Miller of Maryland with the No. 2 pick, and Dallas drafted Maddy Siegrist of Villanova with the third pick. Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman, who was the WNBA’s first president, sat with Siegrist.
The Wings also drafted UConn guard Lou Lopez Senechal two picks later. She had transferred to UConn after a stellar career at Fairfield.
“It feels surreal, really didn’t think I’d be here,” Senechal said. “I’ve come a long way, gone through a lot of challenges.”
Stephanie Soares of Iowa State went fourth to Washington. The Mystics quickly traded her to Dallas soon after selecting the 6-foot-7 center. Washington got back a first round pick in 2025 and second-round pick in 2024.
“It was a very interesting feeling,” Soares said. “Pure excitement going to Washington, but now getting to go to Dallas. It’s going to be a great next step to the journey.”
Soares tore her ACL in January and will miss the upcoming WNBA season.
Stanford guard Haley Jones went sixth to Atlanta. Indiana’s Grace Berger was drafted seventh by the Fever. She was the first Hoosiers player selected in the first round in school history.
Seattle took Tennessee’s Jordan Horston ninth. Dallas chose Maryland’s Abby Meyers with the 11th pick. Meyers started her career at Princeton before finishing with the Terrapins.
Minnesota closed out the first round taking French center Maïa Hirsch.
Tip-ins
LSU guard Alexis Morris, who helped the Tigers win a national championship eight days ago, was taken 22nd by the Connecticut Sun. Her LSU teammate LaDazhia Williams was drafted six picks earlier by Indiana. … USC grad students Kadi Sissoko and Okako Adika were taken 29th and 30th by Phoenix and New York, respectively. It’s the first time since 2012 the school had two players chosen in the draft. … Illinois State graduate guard Paige Robinson was the first player drafted from the school when she was selected 31st by Dallas.