Game 2 of this highly-anticipated first-round series between a young, upstart squad and a veteran group looking for their franchise’s first title tips off on Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN).
The final score, 93-69, doesn’t tell the whole story of Game 1 between the No. 3-seed Connecticut Sun and the No. 6-seed Indiana Fever. At halftime, the Sun were up by just eight points, which, considering Caitlin Clark’s shooting woes, seemed promising for the Fever. However, the more she tried to dig herself out of that hole, the deeper it got, as evidenced by the 2-of-13 accuracy from 3-point range. At the same time, Clark enjoyed one of the best passing performances of her WNBA career. Eight assists to just two turnovers was really impressive, especially considering that Clark is a rookie who was playing in her first WNBA playoff game.
Clark also was guarded by DeWanna Bonner, whose length made all the difference in keeping her at bay. At 37, Bonner could keep up with the young guard, which shows how dedicated she’s been to the game of basketball, taking care of her body and working on her conditioning. On Wednesday, she’ll appear in her 82nd-career playoff game, tying former Sun and Minnesota Lynx guard Lindsay Whalen for first all-time. She symbolizes the thing that’s special about this Sun team: consistency. Game after game, they continue to play hard and grind, even when the shots are not dropping.
Kelsey Mitchell went 2-of-10 from 3, but she made up for it with her 2-point shooting and Aliyah Boston was phenomenal in the interior, so the Fever were able to find ways to adapt, but only to a certain extent. Even if they did everything right on offense, that wouldn’t be enough to rival Alyssa Thomas and Bonner playing the way they do. And as usual, they had help. Marina Mabrey’s career night with 27 points, along with DiJonai Carrington’s quickness and passion aided the Sun to what seemed like an easy win. However, if the Fever adjust their accuracy, we might be in for a surprise.
Game information
No. 6-seed Indiana Fever (0-1) at No. 3-seed Connecticut Sun (1-0)
When: Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT
How to watch: ESPN
Fever injury report: none
Sun injury report: Ty Harris (questionable; ankle); Tiffany Mitchell (out; illness)
