With 1:20 left in the second quarter against the Dream, Aliyah Boston snapped at a foul call and marched toward the ref—on the verge of a tech—when Stephanie White cut in. She touched Boston’s arm, said quietly, “I got this,” then turned and unloaded on the official herself. The clip exploded online not for drama, but for how cleanly it captured White’s instinct: shield the player, take the heat, control the narrative. But now, as the Fever took another L… is she starting to flip the script?

Facing the defending champion New York Liberty, the Fever led by as many as seven late in the third quarter, only to crumble in the same, familiar fashion they’ve tried to shake all season long. A 98-84 loss marked their third defeat to the Liberty this season and once again highlighted the widening gap between flashes of potential and full-game execution.

And yes, the Fever won’t see the Liberty again this season. But let’s not pretend that’s a relief. Because if you’re serious about contending, you’ve got to hold your own against the big dogs. Right now, The Fever are 1-3 against the champs, and it’s a tough look for a team trying to prove it belongs in the title conversation. So the head coach doesn’t want to go looking for excuses. Postgame, when a reporter asked Stephanie White about something Natasha Howard had mentioned – not knowing personnel (lack of familiarity with opponents), something Kelsey Mitchell and Sophie Cunningham had also brought up in previous losses- White didn’t agree.

“I don’t know if it’s not knowing as much as having awareness when you’re on there. You know, in transition, you get matched up, crossmatched often times. If you quiz them on the scouting report, they know it, but recognizing it in live action… understanding again like what we’re willing to live with… playing tendencies,” she started. “Becasue at the end of the day, you know, players make plays. And you have to make them make difficult plays.” She might be onto something. 

How?

This has been a second-half story for Indy all season long. The Fever are the third-worst second-half team in the league right now, outscored by an average of six points per game. It’s not about the prep. It’s about real-time adjustments, playing tendencies, awareness and letting the wrong players get hot. Exactly what White said.

It’s been the same script in too many games. Like when a 13-point third-quarter lead in San Francisco turned into an 11-point loss on June 19. Or in Vegas on June 22, when they blew an eight-point lead. Or LA on June 26, when a 10-point cushion flipped into a 10-point defeat. Same film, different arena. Tuesday night was the same.

The Liberty didn’t even win the first half. The Fever were the ones balling. They went into the break up 46-42. This was the same defense that delivered them a Commissioner’s Cup win not long ago, also without Caitlin Clark. Aari McDonald held Sabrina Ionescu to 1-of-9 shooting, locking her down early and fueling the Fever’s early second-quarter surge. The Fever were flying, disrupting, executing. And then… it all flipped.

It wasn’t even that dramatic. No game-breaking run, no epic meltdown. Just the Liberty showing up like defending champs do. Quietly, then all at once. Jonquel Jones returned from a minor ankle tweak and drilled a corner three right at the start of the second half. But it wasn’t until the third quarter, when New York found its rhythm, that things really unraveled. Fever were up 67-60 with three minutes left in the third. By the start of the fourth, they were down and out. In that seven-minute span bridging the quarters, they scored just three points. 

“Not letting players who like to drive left, drive left, right, make them go right. Not allowing wide open catch and shoot threes to three-point shooters, you know, making them put the ball on the floor, disrupting their rhythm, their timing. It’s just learning and having that awareness when it’s not predetermined by a dead ball. ” White had said postgame. That’s exactly what didn’t happen.

Jones exploited every crack. She did all that in just 23 minutes, finishing with 18 points and 9 rebounds. She didn’t even have to be dominant to shift the game. She just read it better. And her teammates followed suit. The result was a 98-84 win.