The Indiana Fever’s offense has been nearly unstoppable over the past two weeks, rewriting the WNBA record books with four consecutive 100-point games and 12 such games this season already. However, despite four straight wins and a history-making scoring run, Sophie Cunningham believes the team has one weakness that could derail its championship hopes.
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“Yes offense is clicking, I think it’s gonna continue to click. My biggest thing for us is our defense. Too many people are scoring way too many points against us. That’s something we have to show up on. We’ve been struggling all season with that. And so I think our second half of this season is definitely defensive-minded,” Cunningham said while appearing on USA Sports, when asked about what’s clicking for them.
As Sophie Cunningham pointed out, offence has genuinely not been the issue for this Indiana Fever side. They have now cracked the 100-point mark 12 times this season. This shatters the previous all-time WNBA record of 11 games set by the Las Vegas Aces in 2023. And with star players fueling that offensive output, there is very little reason to expect that production to slow down.
“You have stars on your team with Aliyah Boston, with Caitlin Clark, with Kelsey Mitchell; they’re gonna score. They’re gonna do their part. But it’s us as role players that, when the ball is getting to you, you need to be able to knock down your shots.”
However, the Fever have lost four of those twelve 100-point games. In fact, their defense is currently conceding an average of 89.8 points per game, ranking 12th in the WNBA. Their defensive rating of 109.5 also places them ninth overall in the league. Neither figure is acceptable for a team with championship ambitions.
Head coach Stephanie White has even addressed the problem publicly on more than one occasion. The head coach has specifically pointed out the team’s struggle with transition defense. With Aliyah Boston as the main driving force behind their defense, they’ve struggled to contain other teams when she’s off the court.
But as Sophie Cunningham made clear, the stated priority for the second half of the season is a defensive identity. The intention, at least, is there.
Right now, the Fever sit at 18-10 and in fifth place in the league standings. Their next game is against the Portland Fire, and it will be interesting to see whether they can begin to show the defensive commitment Cunningham spoke about.
If they can find that balance in the second half of the season, they have a genuine chance of making a good case for winning the WNBA championship. However, with their first match against league leaders Minnesota Lynx lined up right after Portland, the ultimate test for Indiana’s defense might just be around the corner.