Fever Survive Storm Surge for Fifth Straight Win Without Clark
The Indiana Fever are officially the hottest team in the WNBA right now — and they did it the hard way. On Sunday, they grabbed their fifth consecutive victory with a gutsy 78-74 road win over the Seattle Storm. It was one of those games that showed just how far this team has come over the season.
With star guard Caitlin Clark still sidelined due to a groin injury — her seventh straight missed game — many would have expected the Fever to struggle, especially against a team like Seattle, who came into the matchup tied with Indiana in the standings. But that didn’t happen. Instead, the Fever showed grit, maturity, and poise — three things that would’ve been hard to associate with them just a couple months ago.
The game started tight, and Indiana edged out a 17-16 lead after the first quarter, thanks to six points from Natasha Howard and five from Sophie Cunningham. That duo kept the momentum going in the second quarter too, combining for another 11 points. Add in some key buckets from Damiris Dantas, and Indiana went into halftime up 42-34.
Cunningham — who ended up with a season-high 17 points — continued to deliver in the third quarter, helping the Fever hang onto their lead, entering the fourth up 58-54. It looked like Indiana had things under control, especially when they extended their lead to 12 points with under five minutes left. But Seattle wasn’t done. They roared back with an 11-0 run, fueled by second-chance points and offensive rebounds, cutting the deficit to just one point with 10 seconds left.
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But the Fever didn’t flinch.
Kelsey Mitchell, calm under pressure, nailed a clutch jumper to give Indiana a little breathing room. Then, Aliyah Boston sealed the deal with a free throw with just 2.3 seconds remaining.
Howard led the team with 21 points, while Boston made franchise history by notching her sixth-straight double-double — finishing with 16 points and 12 rebounds. That milestone also pushed her past Tammy Sutton-Brown for fourth all-time in franchise rebounds, all in just 109 games. Quietly, she’s stacking an elite résumé.
The real story, though, was the team’s resilience. Earlier this season, the Fever were notorious for blowing leads in the second half — and they did it multiple times on their last West Coast trip. But this time, they bent, and they didn’t break. Coach Stephanie White credited the team’s growing chemistry and trust, saying they’ve learned to stay even-headed and just move on to the next play.
With this win, Indiana not only moved to 17-12 and grabbed sole possession of fourth place, but they also secured a key playoff tiebreaker over Seattle. That could be huge down the stretch.
And with Clark expected to return soon, it’s hard not to wonder — if they’re this good now, what happens when their superstar is back?
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