Recap The Court

Photo: Steph Chambers/Getty Images

Jacob Smith

The Indiana Fever gave fans at Gainsbridge Fieldhouse a Saturday afternoon filled with moments and exuberant celebration as they picked up a 71-70 win over the Chicago Sky.

Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky is one of the league’s best rebounders, coming in leading in offensive boards and finding a lot of success giving her team second chances and getting put back opportunities for herself. Adding Kamilla Cardoso to that mix as the Sky did today only adds more to deal with on the offensive end, and Chicago went to Kamilla and Angel early and often to establish a rhythm offensively.

Where the Sky worked best was when they slowed Indiana down and got into a half court execution game. Being able to get the ball moving and create post up opportunities for Kamilla and Angel was the foundation for a lot of Chicago’s offence throughout the game while shooters like Marina Mabrey got their chances at points. Indiana gets out in transition and likes to run the floor, and when they had to slow down in the half court, it was Aliyah Boston who shined.

The South Carolina matchup of Aliyah Boston and Kamilla gave fans plenty to watch as they battled for position and rebounds all game long. Aliyah’s vertical defence around the rim mixed with the guards ability to crash the glass neutralized a lot of the advantage Chicago had on the glass, and it was Caitlin Clark with the ball in her hands who flipped that advantage to Indiana.

Working the pick and roll, finding outlet passes to people running the floor, Caitlin’s skills as a facilitator was on full showcase in the Fever’s win, and setting up players like Boston, Mitchell and Smith put Indiana in favourable positions all game long where they could hold onto their lead for much of the game.

As Chicago worked their way to the foul line or created turnovers and transition layups with their half court defence, Indiana answered with the decision making of their guards. It was a win that came down to final free throws and a defensive stop, but a big win for a growing Fever team who are headed to a back-to-back against New York tomorrow.