FULL GAME RECAP: https://on.nba.com/2JKvhFR
INDIANA NOTES:
- Nine different Fever players scored at least six points, with only Tiffany Mitchell in double figures with 15. Mitchell also shared team rebounding honors with seven.
- Rookie first-round draft selection Teaira McCowan finished with six points and seven rebounds. She was the top rebounder in Tuesday’s game against the Sky, also, with eight.
- Point guard Erica Wheeler finished with seven points and eight assists.
- Balance oddity – Indiana’s entire starting lineup finished with either six or 7 points – Laney and Wheeler tallied seven points with Achonwa, McCowan and Kelsey Mitchell each adding six.
CHICAGO NOTES:
- The Sky were led by Cheyenne Parker who scored 16 points off the bench. Chicago reserves outscored their starters, 36-29. Allie Quigley and Victoria Macaulay both added 12.
INDIANA QUOTES:
Head Coach Pokey Chatman
“Our defensive presence from the onset was good, we maintained it throughout. Even with so many rotations in a preseason game, and with so many rotations, we carried it through with multiple lineups. It was nice to see that we married that with good transition offense.”
“We consistently got good shots. We attacked and got to the free throw line. It’s like gold when T [Teaira McCowan] rolls inside. [The Sky] have to defend her and it helped us get to the free throw line.”
Kelsey Mitchell
(Did you accomplish your goals for today’s preseason game?)
“For sure. We had good flow as a team. Kind of playing off one another, finding our way, our chemistry. I think we established that. We want to play fast but stay under control and we won, so take it for what it is. Go back to the drawing board and figure out what else we need to work on.”
Teaira McCowan
(On things they were working on today)
“Just being consistent on both ends of the floor. Just trying to run the plays, like getting them down to where we knew what we were doing.”
(On comfort level with her new team)
“They welcomed me from the jump. And I’m just thankful that I got this opportunity to come here and play with these amazing players.”
CHICAGO QUOTES:
Head Coach James Wade
“We have to come out with a sense of urgency that we didn’t have. Indiana, they have a good team and so I don’t think we were ready to play them from the beginning. I think it took us a while and that’s where our leaders have got to step up and provide that energy.”
“I think pride kind of kicked in. They had a sense of, ‘we don’t want to be embarrassed’, so we kind of put our pride down and said, ‘ok, we’re going to play a little harder’”.
“I’ve been preaching since the beginning how hard it is to win games in this league. We just have to know coming into every WNBA game, no matter what the record is, you can be beat any night.”
Allie Quigley
“I think it was just a learning experience, just for each other and where we are as a team. We’ve got a lot to do but we’re gonna try and stay positive and learn from it.”
“Taking care of the ball [is an area for improvement], and that just comes with knowing our plays and running the offense efficiently. And defensively, just being tougher I think, and rebounding.”
Cheyenne Parker
“We struggled really bad. Our offensive flow was rough and I think that was the biggest issue for us today. We just need to get better on our screening and knowing exactly where we need to be, when we need to be there.”
“We’ve got to get tougher; face adversity and stay together when we do face it. Take it to the team that’s taking it to us.”
Katie Lou Samuelson
“A lot of times, we were just out of sync as a team. Our offense kind of felt disrupted a lot and for us, we just need to get more reps and get used to playing with each other.”
“We’ve got to toughen up and be ready to battle for the boards and stuff like that. Overall, I think that we just know that we’ve got a lot to work on and a lot we can improve on.”