Three players down. Eleven on the roster. Eight left standing. The Indiana Fever didn’t just take the court on Friday, they limped into battle. Sydney Colson went down early, Sophie Cunningham fell late, and Caitlin Clark watched in street clothes. On paper, it was a double blow. But as the fourth quarter unfolded, Stephanie White saw something else take shape, a contradiction worth paying attention to.

Colson was the first to go. Just minutes into the opening quarter, the veteran point guard suffered a left leg injury and headed to the locker room. For a team already missing Clark, it was a destabilizing blow. Without Colson’s composure, the offense staggered. The ball stuck. The pace slowed. Indiana turned it over 15 times — giveaways that led to 24 Connecticut points.

But when Cunningham fell hard in the third quarter, clutching her right ankle — the same one she’d rehabbed for weeks — the Fever didn’t fade. They found a spark. “As much as the Sydney injury was probably a gut punch for us,” head coach Stephanie White said postgame, “the Sophie one gave us a little bit of juice.”

Trailing by 15 entering the fourth, Indiana mounted a 16–0 run to take a late lead. It was their best stretch of the game — fueled by a suddenly sharper defense, aggressive drives, and a team that looked like it had something to prove. “We stopped being hesitant,” White said. “We started taking our open shots. We were aggressive to the rim.”

Aliyah Boston was dominant in the paint. Lexie Hull and Kelsey Mitchell hit big shots late. The Fever outscored the Sun 44–30 inside and matched them rebound for rebound (25 each). Even as Connecticut shot a blistering 50% from three, Indiana kept pace thanks to high-percentage looks and timely free throws (18-of-21 from the line).

But the final play slipped away. Down two with 7.6 seconds left, Indiana couldn’t cleanly execute the inbounds. Mitchell got a contested look. It didn’t fall. “We would’ve liked to get a better shot off,” White said. “But the way we fought back — that’s what we’ll take forward.”

The irony of the night wasn’t lost on fans or the team. Colson’s injury disrupted the structure. Cunningham’s fall stirred urgency. What comes next is uncertain. Clark is expected back after June 9. Colson’s status remains unknown. Cunningham exited with help but without a clear update. And yet, despite the heartbreak, the Fever showed something more valuable than a win: resilience.

They didn’t fold. They responded. And in a packed Gainbridge Fieldhouse of 16,213, that mattered.

Stephanie White Needs Fans to Back the Fever Now

Although Stephanie White didn’t yet have updates on her injured players, one thing was clear: she had the Fever’s back.

Just days earlier, questions swirled around White’s decision not to challenge a crucial foul on Lexie Hull in a tight loss to the Liberty. The reality? Without a full timeout, a coach can’t initiate a challenge. But on Friday, White had that timeout—and she used it. What followed was a fierce 19–2 run fueled by trust, energy, and a team refusing to fold despite setbacks.

White had to watch her former player torch the Fever with triples. Meanwhile, Indiana is buzzing with distractions: Senator Jim Banks demanding an apology from Angel Reese, fans questioning White’s coaching, and doubts about Sydney Colson’s fit. The noise is loud:

“Get Steph outta here now!”
“Stephanie White is a terrible head coach, Christie Sides is better.”

But here’s the deal—White and the Fever want to play fast, but it’s not clicking yet. In this game, the Fever managed only 4 fast-break points compared to the Suns’ 12. White is doing all she can, juggling a short-handed roster with almost three guards out, trying to keep the team afloat.

And honestly, do we want Caitlin Clark to become a “coach killer” like LeBron was early in his career? Remember, LeBron saw coaches like Paul Silas, Mike Brown, and David Blatt replaced despite solid records, feeding that tough “coach killer” narrative. Right now, the Fever and Stephanie White need something simple: fans who have their back. Because without that support, the fight only gets harder.