
Minus Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever win WNBA Commissioner's Cup
Indiana toppled the Minnesota Lynx, 74-59, to capture the franchise's first-ever WNBA Commissioner's Cup title.
Playing without star point guard Caitlin Clark for the third game in a row, the Fever fell behind by by 13 points early in the second quarter and it looked bleak. Then, everything changed.
Trailing 27-14 with eight minutes left to play in the second quarter, the Fever went on one of their best runs of the entire season. They would end the quarter on an 18-0 run, taking a 32-27 lead into the half. And from there, Indiana didn't look back.
The Fever would outscore the Lynx in both the third and fourth quarters to cruise to the victory and the 2025 Commissioner's Cup. It's an impressive win that took strong performances from the entire team to attain.
The Fever saw five players score in double figures in the win, including Natasha Howard who won Commissioner's Cup MVP. Here are the top performances for the Fever in the win:
Without Clark, the Fever got all-around great performances from the entire team in the victory and should gain a huge confidence boost in the process.
With Clark back at practice, it shouldn't be long before the Fever get their star back and go on a run. They'll have a chance to build on the momentum from Tuesday's win when they lost the Las Vegas Aces on Thursday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT on Prime Video.
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Zach on X: @zach_hiney
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
19 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Short-handed Fever suffer another blow as Sophie Cunningham sustains season-ending injury
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The injury-riddled Indiana Fever suffered another blow Tuesday when they announced guard Sophie Cunningham would miss the rest of this season with a knee injury. She was hurt during Sunday's victory at Connecticut. Team officials did not provide details about the injury, the third season-ending one Indiana has experienced in August. Guard Sydney Colson tore the ACL in her left knee on Aug. 7 in a game at Phoenix. Guard Aari McDonald broke a bone in her right foot in the same game. And two-time All-Star guard Caitlin Clark still has not played since injuring her right groin in mid-July. Coach Stephanie White has not provided a timetable for Clark's return other than to say the Fever hope that Clark returns before the regular-season finale Sept. 9 against Minnesota. With so many key players out, the outspoken Cunningham played a key role in helping Indiana stay in the playoff mix. She was averaging 8.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.0 steals. Indiana also announced it has signed Shey Peddy to a seven-day hardship contract. The six-year veteran was averaging 5.0 points and 2.7 assists in six games with the Los Angeles Sparks. She also has played with Phoenix and Washington during her career. The Fever also released guard Kyra Lambert. ___ AP WNBA: The Associated Press


New York Post
21 minutes ago
- New York Post
Sophie Cunningham hits back at troll for calling sister a ‘bitch' in family's war of words against WNBA refs
Fever guard Sophie Cunningham fired back at an X user who called her sister a bitch following remarks made about 'poor officiating' and the WNBA protecting its players. After Sophie suffered a season-ending right knee injury in Sunday's overtime win over the Sun, her sister, Lindsey Cunningham, wrote on X, '@WNBA maybe you should focus less on fining players for commenting on your poor officiating & more about hiring officials that are able to call a consistent game and protect your athletes. Pathetic. Praying for you @sophaller.' In a quote-tweet mocking Lindsey, the social media user posted, ''Protect athletes' shut up bitch,' alongside a video of Sophie's flagrant foul on Sun guard Jacy Sheldon in the Fever's win over Connecticut on June 17. Both Sophie and Sheldon were ejected from the game after a scuffle ensued. Sophie entered the chat on Monday with a message for the X user. '… Some of us were raised by the words of 'don't bite off more than you can chew' and some of us didn't. 'fafo,'' she wrote, along with a kissing face emoji. A day after Monday's exchange, the Fever announced that Sophie will miss the remainder of the 2025 WNBA season after sustaining a season-ending injury in the second quarter of Sunday's game at Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut. 3 Fever guard Sophie Cunningham and her sister Lindsey Cunningham. Instagram/Sophie Cunningham The team did not disclose a specific diagnosis and said the veteran guard is expected to make a full recovery. The Fever signed guard Shey Peddy to a seven-day hardship contract and released guard Kyra Lambert in a corresponding move. 3 Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (8) on the court injured in a game against the Connecticut Sun in the first half at Mohegan Sun Arena on August 17, 2025. David Butler II-Imagn Images Cunningham fell to the floor, grabbing her knee in pain after she collided with Sun guard Bria Harley and did not return to play. Cunningham, who has been publicly critical of the officiating throughout this season, said she was fined by the WNBA twice in July for remarks she made about the referees. Speaking July 28 on her 'Show Me Something' podcast, Cunningham went off about the refs being 'so inconsistent,' which she said resulted in a $1.500 penalty by the league. 3 Sophie Cunningham #8 of the Indiana Fever smiles before the game against the Connecticut Sun on August 17, 2025 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. NBAE via Getty Images Before that, Cunningham explained that she was fined $500 for a July 17 TikTok, in which she lip-synched to the lyrics, 'Stupid. Or is it, slow? Or maybe, useless?' from Sabrina Carpenter's song 'Manchild' — including the caption, '@ some refs.' The Fever (19-16) play the WNBA-leading Lynx (28-5) on Friday at home and again on Sunday in Minnesota.


Washington Post
22 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Short-handed Fever suffer another blow as Sophie Cunningham sustains season-ending injury
INDIANAPOLIS — The injury-riddled Indiana Fever suffered another blow Tuesday when they announced guard Sophie Cunningham would miss the rest of this season with a knee injury. She was hurt during Sunday's victory at Connecticut .