Just yesterday, fans were all chanting the “good things come in small packages” slogan as Sophie Cunningham posted a playful video online. The Fever had just taken a narrow loss against the Washington Mystics, but Sophie? She didn’t let her spirits fall. She jumped onto the bandwagon, lip-syncing to Sydney Sweeney’s bit about the “blonde” stereotype—and yes, she was still rocking the same game-day trousers from the loss. Somehow, that little burst of sass had fans feeling hopeful again, like maybe everything was going to be okay.

Yet, after today, they cannot say or feel the same.

As the season festivities rolled in, preseason included, Indiana looked like they’d found their groove. They absolutely crushed the Sky 93-58 in the season opener and had everyone talking. For a moment, they looked unstoppable, turning the betting odds in their favor. But that momentum didn’t last. They have now dropped three straight, with another 1-point loss to the Dream. Those razor-thin defeats have been tough to swallow. However, their worst one yet was today.

Not because they lost, but because injuries just won’t leave the Indiana Fever alone this season. They are already missing Caitlin Clark for at least 2 long and crucial weeks. She is out with a grade II left quad strain. As if that wasn’t enough, they had to see Sydney Colson leave early after taking some hard hits. Twice, in a single game against the Sun.

That’s when Sophie Cunningham stepped up, carrying the absence of not one but two key players on her back. But, within just a few minutes of the last disaster, in the fourth quarter, Sophie Cunningham also went down clutching her ankle after a collision. She got tangled up with Connecticut’s Marina Mabrey while trying to reset after a screen. The collision literally sent her crashing to the floor near the Sun bench. There was pain on her face as she immediately grabbed at her right leg near the ankle.

This was especially concerning because it’s the same ankle that gave her trouble during preseason. Team trainers immediately sprinted over. They carefully examined both her ankle and knee while she remained on the hardwood. You could really see the concern on her teammates’ faces as she limped off the court. Neither Colson nor Cunningham returned after that. White did not even see Cunningham in the locker room and had no update on her whatsoever.

It’s extra frustrating. Especially because Sophie Cunningham had stepped up in Sydney Colson’s role, who had, in fact, stepped up in Caitlin Clark’s role. So, now, with how things unfolded, how does a squad even recover from that loss? Cunningham, who came over from Phoenix this season, isn’t putting up huge numbers (5.3 points, 4 boards, and 1.3 assists per game). But she has definitely been a key piece off the bench. Hers is exactly the kind of steady presence the Fever cannot afford to lose right now, at any cost.

Coach Stephanie White did not hold back speaking about both Colson and Cunningham’s injuries. “It was kind of like a gut punch,” White said. “It affected us in the second quarter, no doubt, not having another primary ballhandler, and we [have to] take Sophie out of what she does naturally really well when she has to become a ballhandler”. 

And while her voice admitted the pit the team is in right now, she also made sure to give credit where it was due. “But the reality is, this stuff happens. We’ve seen it time and time again in our league. We can’t take 2½ quarters to figure it out. But I was proud of our fight in the fourth quarter after Sophie went down,” White added.

Well, White is absolutely spot on. Despite the loss, DeWanna Bonner still found a way to leave her mark on the game.

Sophie Cunningham’s Teammate Strikes Fear into Marina Mabrey

You could hear the mix of frustration and respect in Marina Mabrey’s voice after the game. “Man, DB came in at the end trying to take that from us. I was like, ‘Oh no, here she goes again.'” An absolutely raw reaction from the Sun guard Marina Mabrey, this one line said everything about those tense final minutes. She knew exactly what was coming when her former teammate, DeWanna Bonner, flipped a switch in the fourth quarter.

The two-time WNBA champ poured in 9 of her 13 points in the final quarter. She single-handedly sparked Indiana’s late charge. The Fever clawed back, and for a moment, it felt like Bonner might steal the game outright. Indiana was trailing by as many as 15 when Bonner drilled her 3rd straight three to snatch the lead. But Connecticut managed to hold on by a thread. They escaped with their first win of the season, leaving Indiana just short, yet again, at 85-83.

But here’s the thing about this Indiana squad: they don’t go down without a fight. Even with a depleted lineup, they kept swinging. Aliyah Boston shouldered the load with 17 points and 5 rebounds, while Kelsey Mitchell added 13 of her own. Had their core trio been intact, this easily could’ve tilted in the Fever’s favor. Off the bench, Damiris Dantas gave them unexpected life with 9 points.

So, the scoreboard might not have been kind, but the message was loud and clear: knock us down, take our stars, we’re still showing up. That kind of grit might just be Indiana’s most valuable weapon going forward, especially with half of their squad recovering, hopefully to come back stronger.