Sophie Cunningham understands her role with the Indiana Fever, and she embraces every bit of it.
The 29-year-old came up big off the bench Sunday. Stephanie White's squad rolled past the Las Vegas Aces 109-75 at Michelob ULTRA Arena. Cunningham pitched in 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field. She tied her season high with six three-pointers on 6-of-7 shooting from deep.
After the game, she deflected praise directly to her teammates and made clear she stays locked in. The comments came during a postgame interview alongside White and Aliyah Boston.
"I think that's what it is to be a pro: to stay ready," she said. "When you have megastars on your team, they're going to get the majority of the shots, as they should. So us others, we just have to be prepared to knock it down when we get the ball."
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Indiana's All-Star trio led the charge. Kelsey Mitchell poured in 27 points, including 20 in the first half. Boston was a force in the interior, finishing with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Caitlin Clark contributed a modest 12 points, but also registered seven rebounds and six assists. The Fever superstar is playing on a minutes restriction due to her lingering back injury.
With Clark operating at less than full capacity, Cunningham stepped up on both ends. Her long-range shooting and defensive energy filled the void. The Fever knocked down 15 three-pointers as a team and shot 56% from the field.
Cunningham has been a reliable piece of Indiana's strong 14-9 start. She is averaging 9.1 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists across 21 games. Cunningham enters the second half of the season as a potential candidate for the Sixth Player of the Year award.
