The Connecticut Sun hosted the Indiana Fever in the first round of the WNBA playoffs. The last time these two teams met in the playoffs was in the semifinals in 2012, where Indiana won the series 2-1. Indiana would go to win the championship as well.
The 2016 season was the last time the Fever made the playoffs, which was Tamika Catchings' final season. Stephanie White was the head coach at the time, and assistant coach Briann January the starting point guard. Erica Wheeler and Tiffany Mitchell were also on the roster, with Mitchell being a rookie.
Coincidentally, the 2016 season was also the last time the Sun missed the playoffs. Alyssa Thomas was in her second season at the time, and Rachel Banham (who was traded right before the all-star break this year) was a rookie.
Game Recap
Connecticut wasted no time kicking things off, going on a 7-2 run to start the game. They attacked the offensive glass early, which is one of their biggest strengths. Indiana immediately answered with a 5-3 to take the lead.
Both teams were playing at a fast pace and kept it close. During the Fever run, Ty Harris went down after landing awkwardly after fouling Lexie Hull on a three point attempt (did not provide enough landing space). She had to be helped to the locker room, and was ruled out the rest of the game.
The first half of the second quarter remained competitive as both teams took turns making shots. Damiris Dantas came into the game and immediately scored 10 points. The Fever started to attack the offensive glass thanks to Lexie Hull.
Hull would unfortunately pick up her third foul, which forced to watch the rest of the second quarter on the bench. After Hull sat down, the Sun closed the quarter on a 12-2 run to create some separation and lead by eight.
With Connecticut guarding the paint, Indiana was forced into settling for threes. They went 3/15 from three in the first half, which was a shock considering they were one of the top five teams in three-point percentage.
Marina Mabrey got the start in the second half due to Ty Harris being ruled out the rest of the game, and she immediately got it going. After scoring just seven points in the first half, she scored 11 points in the third quarter. She shot 50% from the field and 60% from three.
That hot streak continued in the fourth as she scored nine points and only missed one shot. She finished with 27 points, which is the most points off the bench in a game in WNBA postseason history.
It seemed like every time the Fever cut into the lead, the Sun immediately answered. They could not contain Mabrey, who had the hot hand the entire second half. They increased their lead to 15, and only took off from there.
Connecticut dominated the fourth quarter, holding the Fever to just 12 points while scoring 25. They led by as many as 24, and it was too much for Indiana to overcome. Connecticut won the game 93-69 and took a 1-0 lead in the series.
Playoff Bonner
In all the regular season matchups, Caitlin Clark was being primarily guarded by DiJonai Carrington. But this time, Dewanna Bonner was given the Caitlin Clark assignment. This came as a surprise considering Carrington has had success defending Clark, but Bonner showed the world why she is one of the best to ever do it.
Bonner held Clark to just three points in the first half. Clark was 1/9 from the field and 0/6 from three. She also had her shot blocked by Bonner. Any questions about why Bonner was guarding Clark were immediately answered.
Clark scored eight points in the third quarter on 50 FG%, but that was the only time her shots were falling. She finished with just 11 points, but she had eight assists as well as three steals.
Bonner finished with 22 points on 63.6 FG%, six rebounds, five assists and two blocks. She has been in the league for 16 years and has the most playoff experience on the Sun being that she is a two-time champion. Head coach Stephanie White knows what Bonner can do, and trusts her to get the job done.
Photo Courtesy: @ConnecticutSun/X
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