Last year, Stephanie White had the upper hand when a shot clock malfunction hit her team. In 2024’s Game 1 of the playoffs against the White-coached Sun, the Fever’s up-tempo style was disrupted three times in the first half when the shot clock refused to start. Fast forward to today, and White is now coaching Indiana and was on the receiving end of a freeze against the Valkyries. She felt it affected their rhythm. “I don’t know if it affected the readiness at all. But yeah, I mean it’s disruptive,” she said later. But she isn’t blaming the 12-point loss on the tech glitch.

Indiana fell to Golden State 75-63 on Sunday night. But delays, which caused a loss of momentum, were not the sole reason behind it. In the post-game press conference, the HC stated, “I mean, every game is important. And certainly, when you have an opportunity to play against opponents that you’re vying for, for playoff implications. It’s one game at a time for us and, you know, focusing on the next opponent.

“I felt like anytime we potentially had an opportunity, I mean, it was like a five-point game with seven and a half minutes left. We had an opportunity to close the gap, and we just had some mental breakdowns that killed us and allowed them to go on runs.” Those mental breakdowns were the defensive lapses Indiana witnessed when playing on the Chase Center’s court.

The zone defense was just not working for Indy, and GSV knew it. Through the first quarter, the Valks managed to stay in rhythm from three-point range. They exploited the Fever’s zone, and for 10 minutes straight, it was catch-and-shoot three-pointers for the team. Even the WNBA’s official Instagram account posted, “The @valkyries caught fire in the first half — 9-12 from three (75%) to build the lead!”

By the end of the game, they had a 12-of-19 mark and shot overall 50% from the field. Indy, meanwhile, made just six three-pointers at a 20% clip, all while shooting just 32% overall from the field. But while the poor showing came from the entire roster, Aliyah Boston and Aerial Powers were in focus.

Early in the first quarter at 8:39, Boston lost the ball after grabbing her own miss, and within seconds, Veronica Burton turned it into a Kaila Charles bucket at 8:35. But this was just one instance. In the third quarter at 6:01, another moment followed: Boston’s bad pass was stolen by Charles, who scored a two-point shot that Boston couldn’t defend. Powers, meanwhile, brought intensity but made several defensive lapses too.

It was in the second quarter at the 7:52 mark when she committed a shooting foul on Janelle Salaun. The opponent’s star then hit 1 of 2 free throws. While Powers made multiple lapses in between, the costly one came in the fourth quarter at the 7:07 mark. When Kate Martin had already hit a three, Powers’ reckless closeout added a Flagrant 1. Though the Fever went for a review, it was overturned. And just like that, for a stretch, the Fever went scoreless while the Valks built it up from 50-58 to 50-66.

So yes, that was how Indy, despite having the chance to turn the tables, was left with a defeat. They went 21-for-63 on field goals and just 6-for-30 on three-pointers with 14 fouls, including two flagrants. But still, Indiana is going with one game at a time, and there are still four remaining for the postseason!

Can the Indiana Fever get back on track?

With their recent loss to GSV, they’ve dropped from 6th to 8th—the final playoff spot—with just four games remaining. But still, the HC’s hopeful. “And so, you know, we got to, we got to learn from this one, and we got to go into Phoenix and we got to be better. Thank you,” she shared in the same press conference.

While the match against the Valks was one of those crucial games, the team is still at 21-19, right behind Seattle and GSV. But they now have to win against Phoenix, their next opponent, and Chicago, a team that Indy has beaten four times this season. After that, they’ll also get to play the Washington Mystics, already been eliminated from playoff contention.

Then, there’s a game against the Lynx, a team already the top seed in the playoffs. So, the chances are still there. What are your predictions for the Fever?