Sophie Cunningham is not shying away from accountability after Wednesday's defeat.
The Indiana Feverfell 88-75 to the Golden State Valkyries at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The result stung given the Fever had won four of their last five games. The energy and intensity that defined that stretch simply did not show up.
Cunningham was not bad individually. The 29-year-old scored 10 points on 3-of-7 from the field and 2-of-4 from deep. She added four steals in 27 minutes off the bench. Still, Golden State's second unit outplayed Indiana's reserves.
Cunningham, who anchors that group, was not about to deflect the criticism elsewhere. She accepted responsibility during her postgame interview alongside Caitlin Clark.
"I mean, they were a really good team," Cunningham said. "They have their offense, and they stick with their offense. They have fast guards and have great spacing. They really are a very fundamental team on both sides of the ball, and that's a tough match-up for anybody."
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
Indiana's starters held up their end. Kelsey Mitchell led the Fever with 20 points. Aliyah Boston contributed 15. Clark scored 13 points in 26 minutes while managing her back injury on a minutes restriction.
Cunningham credited the starters and pointed the finger squarely at herself for failing to maintain the standard off the bench.
"Honestly, at the end of the day, we got to stick to our schemes," she added. "We've got to stick to our scout. We got to do what works for us. I think we got away or just didn't live up to the standard tonight. We had a long West Coast trip and I think our legs are a little tired. I think a lot of people saw that.
"We had a slow start. The second unit came out and their second unit got off. I'll own that for the second unit because we have to set the tone. We just weren't good enough tonight."
The Valkyries improved to 18-7 with their eighth straight victory, the longest winning streak in franchise history. The Fever dropped to 14-10.
