INDIANAPOLIS — A furious fourth-quarter rally fell short as the Fever suffered their third straight loss, falling to the Connecticut Sun, 85-83.
That knocked the Fever down to 2-4 on the season. This game also gave Connecticut its first win, and the Sun will leave Indiana at 1-5.
Here are three observations from the game:
Fever make furious fourth-quarter rally
The Fever offense has been going through some growing pains since Caitlin Clark was ruled out for at least two weeks on Monday.
Indiana’s offense looked disjointed in its first outing without Clark on Wednesday, as the Fever were lacking in execution at the rim and committing unforced turnovers.
That offense, still without Clark on Friday (and without her until at least June 10), continued to struggle — at least in the first three quarters.
The Fever hesitated too much on their actions, allowing the Sun to set their defense, get in passing lanes and force turnovers. They missed what should be easy layups and couldn’t get the ball out in transition for the second straight game — something that is usually a hallmark of their play with Clark.
A lot of that changed in the fourth quarter.
The Fever went on a furious, 16-0 run throughout the fourth, going from down 74-59 to up 75-74. They made four straight 3-pointers — which included three from DeWanna Bonner. The Fever got a lead, then lost it after the Sun went on an 8-3 run of their own.
The Fever’s final play of the game down two points — one to potentially tie or take the win — went awry as Kelsey Mitchell lost control of the ball after the inbound. She got control back and stepped behind the 3-point line, taking a shot with 2.5 seconds left.
The shot bounced off the rim, and Connecticut recovered the rebound to secure its first win of the season.
Sydney Colson, Sophie Cunningham suffer injuries
The Fever were without a true point guard for three quarters on Friday. And it could be longer, depending on the severity of Colson’s injury.
She got tangled up with Sun guard Jacy Sheldon near the Fever bench in the first quarter. Sheldon landed on her leg as the two dove for a loose ball, and Colson immediately went to clutch her left knee.
She stayed on the ground after Sheldon was able to get back up and run back on offense, creating a 5-on-4 scoring situation.
Fever coach Stephanie White called a timeout after the Sun’s layup, and trainers went to tend to Colson. She got up and stayed at the Fever bench through the timeout, then gingerly walked back to the locker room under her own power.
Colson was ruled out for the rest of the game at halftime, leaving guards Sophie Cunningham and Mitchell — who both usually excel off the ball — to share point guard duties.
But then Cunningham went down with an injury late in the fourth quarter and did not return. She made contact with Sun guard Marina Mabrey as she attempted to set a screen on Mabrey, then tried to reset, and the two made contact as Cunningham went down near the Sun bench.
She looked to be clutching her right leg while on the floor, near her ankle — the same one she injured in the preseason. Trainers rushed over, both checking her ankle and testing the mobility of her knee.
Aliyah Boston limited by foul trouble
Fever center Aliyah Boston couldn’t get too many touches in the Fever’s slower-paced offense against the Mystics on Wednesday. She went 4 of 5 from the field, but only had those touches for 10 points.
Heading into Friday’s game, White hoped to get Boston more touches. In the first quarter, the Fever delivered on that. Boston had 10 points in the first, matching her whole-game output two days earlier.
Then, the foul trouble started.
Boston picked up her third foul with seven minutes left in the second quarter, forcing her to the bench for the rest of the half. She then picked up her fourth foul at the five-minute mark of the third and had to sit for the rest of the quarter.
Boston was the most effective player they had on the court against Connecticut, starting her day 7 for 7 from the field. But foul trouble limited her minutes. She finished with 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting with five rebounds and seven assists.
