ATLANTA — The Indiana Fever started hot. Then their temperature cooled.
Indiana scored a season-high 39 points on 12 of 15 shooting in the first quarter of their 113-96 loss to the Atlanta Dream on Saturday at State Farm Arena. It only hit 14 over the next two quarters.
Despite shooting 9 for 20 in the second, Indiana managed to end the first half with a 59-56 lead. But the Dream’s 26-point second quarter was a sign of what was to come in the third.
Atlanta scored 28 points in the third, while Indiana posted a season-low 15 on 13 shots. Guard Caitlin Clark had five of her seven turnovers in the third, preventing the Fever (9-7) from finding a rhythm on offense. It was Clark’s 11th game this season with at least five turnovers. The Fever conceded 18 points off 19 turnovers during the contest.
“It’s hard for us to recover when they get those direct points and there’s no transition defense for those kinds of turnovers,” coach Stephanie White said. “It gave them a little momentum.”
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Clark admitted she’s “got to take care of the ball better,” and said the team’s offensive output starts with her ability to protect the ball. Clark believes the Fever did “well” at playing transition spread and finding open teammates in the first half. The Fever started the game 8 for 8. Six of those made shots came off assists.
The Fever got into foul trouble in the second, committing nine of their 29 fouls in the quarter. The foul trouble spilled into the third with Aliyah Boston securing her fifth foul with 59.7 seconds left in the period.
The Dream made 21 free throws to Indiana’s 17. Clark acknowledged it’s difficult to play in transition when the team gets into foul trouble.
“There are only so many schemes you can do, so l think for us it’s just being more intentional and having a higher discipline level when we’re in those moments,” White said. “A lot of our fouls are coming because we’re not taking care of the point, and then we’re getting it in rotation, or behind plays, or we’re late, and that’s where a lot of our fouls are coming from.”
The Dream defeated the Fever 108-101 on Thursday. Saturday was the sixth time this season Indiana has allowed 100 or more points in a game. The Fever are 1-5 when they allow at least 100 points this season.
White said pregame the Fever need to tighten up on their “three A’s”: awareness, anticipation and staying active. White added the Fever lacked “attention to detail” in their loss Thursday. Indiana struggled with focus once again Saturday.
White re-emphasized the importance of the “three A’s” postgame.
“It’s streamlined — it’s three A’s for a reason,” she said when asked which “A” the team needs to improve. ”It was a lot of shot-making in the first half, and I thought we did some really good things. When they went on that run in the third, we became a little disconnected, and so we weren’t as active, we weren’t as aware, we weren’t anticipating as much and we just got to find ways to regroup.”
The Fever will have the opportunity to bounce back when they welcome the 5-12 Phoenix Mercury on Monday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Joshua Heron is an enterprise and Fever reporter. Follow him on Twitter at @HeronReports. 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: How the Indiana Fever’s latest collapse reinforces focus on the ‘three A’s’
Reporting by Joshua Heron, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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By Joshua Heron, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
