Indiana Fever stuns Atlanta’s dream

The Atlanta Dream were defeated 91-84 by the Indiana Fever for their second straight loss on Thursday night. The game was played at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis in front of a capacity crowd. For the Dream, it was another slow start for the team as they were once again outscored in the first half 44-59.

“We need to start the game better. Ultimately, we can’t dig ourselves a hole like that because it takes too much energy to try to come back. Especially with a team that shoots the 3 the way they shoot. They got up early and we had to do a better job of starting these games,” head coach Tanisha Wright said.

“Defensively, we didn’t do a great job in the first half, taking away options from them when they got hot. (Kelsey) Mitchell got hot and obviously (Aliyah) Boston got hot, and we’ve got to do a better job of that. But I think in the second half we came back to ourselves a little bit, which was playing Atlanta basketball like we have the last two years.

The Fever started strong, quickly establishing a lead in the first quarter. Led by the dynamic duo of Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell, Indiana’s offense was firing on all cylinders. Boston, known for its aggressive approach in the paint and mid-range accuracy, scored a game-high 27 points and 13 rebounds. Mitchell, the team’s general, orchestrated the offense with precision, contributing 24 points.

Despite the initial deficit, the Dream responded with resilience. Rhyne Howard continued her excellent shooting by tying her career high with six 3-pointers. She finished the game with 26 points. Cheyenne Parker-Tyus added 18 points and six rebounds to help the Dream stay within reach with her clutch shooting. It was Parker-Tyu’s 100th career game in a Dream uniform. She played a big role in why the Dream dominated the Fever 30-17.

The second half saw both teams trading baskets in a back-and-forth fashion. Atlanta was able to cut the lead to just 11 points in the third quarter, thanks to a 14-6 run, bringing the score to 62-73. However, Indiana’s defense tightened up in the final minutes, forcing crucial turnovers and securing key rebounds.

The Dream will look to regroup and address their defensive deficiencies as they prepare for their next game against the Sparks on Sunday afternoon.