INDIANAPOLIS — At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Tyasha Harris stood wide open at the 3-point line. The Indiana Fever were down three to the Dallas Wings at the time, playing most of the game from behind.
Kelsey Mitchell, standing at the top of the key, found Harris, who got the shot off before Paige Bueckers could get a hand in her face.
And the bank was open. Harris banked that 3-pointer into the basket, tying the game with an easy swish.
“I was shocked,” Harris said following the Fever’s 98-87 win over the Wings. “I was ‘Oh shoot.’ I mean, I was locked and ready to shoot it, and it went in, so oh well, it’s still a 3. Banked or not.”
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That was just the beginning for Harris, too, who was 2 for 2 with that made shot. Her 3-pointer ignited a rally for the Fever. They went on a 15-2 run following Harris’ banked 3-pointer, finally pulling away from the Wings after three quarters of a back-and-forth game.
Harris played the entire fourth quarter, knocking in another 3-pointer during that run and two more later in the quarter. The Fishers native ended up going a perfect 5 for 5 from 3-point range, scoring 15 points with two rebounds and a team-high plus-20.
“It was just really fun,” Caitlin Clark said of Harris’ play. “The energy and excitement from the crowd, like, I love those moments. And to see everybody celebrate her, obviously with her being from the state, it’s pretty cool for her to be here.”
Harris, who was a starter under Fever coach Stephanie White while they were in Connecticut in 2024, knew she wasn’t going to have a starting role with the Fever when she signed ahead of the 2026 season. The Fever already had their established point guard in Clark, and Harris was coming off a major knee surgery that still took time at the beginning of the season for her to get back into game shape.
But that different role didn’t change Harris’s approach to the game — on and off the court.
“Ty’s probably one of the best teammates I’ve had,” Clark said. “She’s always there, supporting everybody, uplifting everybody, so it’s really fun to see her come into her own and thrive. Whether she plays two minutes or she plays 20 minutes, she’s the same person in the locker room and shows up and works every single day.”
Harris didn’t have much of a role in the rotation when the Fever season started. After all, she was still getting her legs under her.
But, as a veteran in the backcourt, she’s stepped up when it matters. She started in Clark’s place for four games when Clark was out with a back injury, and in that time, she worked as both a scorer and a facilitator. While she isn’t the same type of volume scorer as Clark is, Harris was able to proficiently run the offense in those games, helping guide the Fever to wins over Portland, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Phoenix while running a similar-style offense to Clark.
That type of backup point guard, one that can run the same kind of high-powered offense that Clark does, is something Indiana has been looking for since Clark entered the league in 2024.
They finally seem to have found it in Harris.
“Ty is a terrific leader for this team,” White said. “She’s been through the ups and downs of the league in a short career. She’s been through injuries, she’s been through different kinds of roles, and she’s found her voice. She’s found the confidence in understanding that she can come in and impact … I’m really proud of her, and she stepped up big. She was a turning point for us tonight.”
Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at chloe.peterson@indystar.com. Get IndyStar’s Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter. Subscribe to IndyStar TV: Fever for in-depth analysis, behind-the-scenes coverage and more.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Hometown hero has ‘found the confidence’ as leader for Indiana Fever, steps up in win vs Wings
Reporting by Chloe Peterson, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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By Chloe Peterson, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
