It’s the game of firsts for the Indiana Fever. Facing the Connecticut Sun with a depleted roster, the Fever were forced to experiment with their lineup. With Caitlin Clark sidelined by injury, veteran guard Odyssey Sims earned her first start of the season, replacing Lexie Hull. The matchup also carried an extra layer of intrigue, with the Fever squaring off against head coach Stephanie White’s former team. But not all of the firsts were welcome.

The game tipped off with intensity, as both teams quickly leaned into their physical style of play. Given their history of chippy encounters, tempers were expected to flare. Yet, this one escalated almost immediately in record time. Just 35 seconds into the opening quarter, officials were already at the monitor for a review. The unfortunate incident came at the 9:25 mark of the opening quarter.

Fever guard Sophie Cunningham was driving toward the Sun’s basket when she stumbled and collided with Leïla Lacan. In the scramble for possession, Cunningham accidentally struck Lacan in the groin with her foot. The officials initially ruled the ball out of bounds on Connecticut, but they quickly stopped play for a referee-initiated review to check for a possible foul. Insider Scott Agness captured the moment on X, posting: “An official review 35 seconds into the game! Yay. Might be a record.”

After reviewing the footage, the call was overturned, and a technical foul was assessed to Cunningham, giving the Sun a free throw. Marina Mabrey converted it, putting Connecticut on the board with their first point of the night. The physicality from such an early point in the game set an unexpected tone.

Just four minutes later, Sun head coach Rachid Meziane used his coach’s challenge on another ruling. After video review, the referees sided with Meziane, overturning the original call. Because the challenge was successful, the Sun retained their timeout, preserving a key resource for later in the game. While the Sun coach was successful, the Fever coach is still struggling. Stephanie White has once again come under scrutiny, this time from Fever fans.

Stephanie White is under fire for leaving out one key player

The Indiana Fever are going through a turbulent stretch, with multiple key players sidelined due to injuries. Caitlin Clark, Sydney Colson, and Aari McDonald were already unavailable, and reports suggest that Sophie Cunningham also exited the Sun game with an injury. Given this limited roster, Fever fans were left puzzled and frustrated by head coach Stephanie White’s decision to bench yet another key contributor.

Before the game against the Sun, White replaced Lexie Hull in the starting lineup with veteran guard Odyssey Sims. Hull has been one of the bright spots for the Fever this season. Her emergence was a big factor in DeWanna Bonner’s shift to the bench earlier in the year, and her three-point shooting has ranked among the league’s best. Even though she hit a recent cold stretch, the move to bench her might have made sense when Colson and McDonald were healthy. But with both unavailable, and Hull already more integrated into the team’s system than Sims, the decision raised even more questions.

Statistically, Hull has proven her value beyond scoring. With a defensive rating of 98.4, she ranks as one of the team’s top defenders. Among Fever players who log consistent minutes, she stands out as their premier defensive option. She also averages 1.1 steals per game, ranking third on the team, while keeping her turnovers under one per contest. Offensively, she has shown she can step up, highlighted by her 17-point outing against the Chicago Sky. Despite all this, Stephanie White chose to relegate her to the bench. A decision that has not sat well with Fever fans.

With injuries piling up and rotation choices under scrutiny, White’s decisions are starting to draw sharper criticism. If the Fever want to steady their season, maximizing the strengths of healthy, proven contributors like Hull may no longer be optional; it may be essential.