Second-half nightmare costs Indiana Fever in loss to Atlanta Dream
ATLANTA – The Indiana Fever dropped to 2-1 in Commissioner's Cup play with a loss to the Atlanta Dream on Tuesday night, 77-58.
The two teams were tied going into a halftime, but a strong third quarter from the Dream allowed them to pull away in the second half. Fever forward Natasha Howard led Indiana with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Kelsey Mitchell had 11 points.
The Fever are now 4-5 and have a few days off before they play the New York Liberty on Saturday afternoon at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Here are three observations:
The Atlanta Dream play physical, and that's something the Fever — and teams around the league — have come to expect. But Atlanta was still able to impose its will on Indiana, especially when it came down to the third quarter.
Indiana went into halftime tied with Atlanta at 33, but came into the third quarter sluggish. The Fever only scored four points through the first seven minutes of the third quarter and made multiple bad-pass turnovers, giving up possessions to the Dream. Atlanta took advantage of their edge in transition, too, turning those turnovers into easy layups.
Indiana could never really find a rhythm in the third, returning to that discombobulated offense that plagued them in the first two games that Fever point guard Caitlin Clark was out.
They also struggled defensively, allowing Brionna Jones to take control of the paint for eight points for the Dream. Allisha Gray, an early Most Improved Player candidate, also had eight points in the third quarter alone.
By the end of the quarter, what was a tied game turned into a 14-point lead for the Dream; Indiana scored nine points in the third, and Atlanta scored 23. And that deficit became insurmountable.
Indiana was not happy with the referee's calls (or lack of them) in the second half on Tuesday.
Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell picked up a technical foul with about 30 seconds left in the third quarter. It came after she was called for a foul, and seemed to say something to the referees or a Dream player that prompted officials to give her the tech.
Fever coach Stephanie White got the Fever's second technical of the night with about three minutes left in the game after a 3-point miss from Natasha Howard led to a scrum under the basket for the rebound. Dream forward Shatori Walker-Kimbrough came up with the ball, and White was called for the tech after saying something to officials on the sideline.
In the end, those two extra points for Atlanta didn't matter much — they were up by double-digits for most of the second half.
Aari McDonald's time with the Fever is becoming more and more limited, but she's impressed in what could be an audition for a permanent roster spot — whether it be on the Fever or another team around the league.
McDonald, who signed with the Fever on a hardship contract on June 1, hit the ground running and played 27 minutes for the Fever against the Mystics just two days later. She's been a spark in all three of the games she's played in, scoring at least seven points each time.
On Tuesday night against the Dream, she came off the bench to score nine points in eight minutes in the first half, leading the Fever going into halftime. She's a disruptor defensively, even standing at just 5-6, and she has provided a spark off the bench that the Fever needed in this stretch with both Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham out.
More: How long can Aari McDonald stay on Indiana Fever? Explaining WNBA hardship contracts
McDonald played most of the fourth quarter in place of current starting point guard Sydney Colson, too, as the Fever tried to focus on defense. She finished with 12 points, two assists, and one rebound in about 23 minutes.
The Fever coaching staff have consistently referred to McDonald as a "consummate professional," but they know her time in Indiana is coming to an end. Once either Clark or Cunningham return (likely this week) and the Fever get back up to 10 available players, McDonald's contract will automatically be terminated.
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