The Indiana Fever blew an 11-point lead in the first half and trailed by as many as 22 points in their loss to the Atlanta Dream on Saturday. Making matters worse, Atlanta scored the most points ever in franchise history with its 113-96 victory over Indiana.
Caitlin Clarkrecorded a game-high 26 points for the Fever, but the team simply couldn't find a way to slow down the Dream. All of Atlanta's starters scored in double figures, led by Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray who had 24 and 22 points, respectively.
While the Fever appeared in control in the first half, the Dream turned things around with a huge third quarter when they outscored Indiana 28-15. Angel Reese and Jordin Canada scored eight points apiece for Atlanta during the period.
Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
Naturally, the Fever's ugly quarter was a major talking point postgame. When reporters asked Indiana head coach Stephanie White what went wrong in the third quarter of the game, she got straight to the point and blamed it on their turnovers.
"I I think it started with our turnovers," White stated, per The Ballers Magazine. "We had nine turnovers. They had 11 points off of those turnovers. You know, it's hard for for us to recover when they get those direct points and there's no transition defense for those kinds of turnovers. It gave them a little momentum and it gave them a boost."
For what it's worth, the Fever committed 10 turnovers in the third quarter, with Clark accounting for five of those. In comparison, the Dream took care of the ball well in the same span and didn't have a turnover.
That proved to be a major difference-maker, as Atlanta built a double-digit lead entering the final quarter.
Moreover, Clark herself admitted that her turnovers during the game were problematic, adding that Fever need to "take care of the ball better."
The Fever have developed a tendency to blow leads because of their poor defense. While there's no denying that they are putting in the work to improve in that area, it's clear that their problem is about more than just effort.
Indiana is currently second in the league with the most turnovers per game at 15.5, only behind the Washington Mystics. As White pointed out, the way they lose the ball negatively affects their ability to defend.
Indiana returns to action on Monday against the Phoenix Mercury. Sure enough, it will be interesting to see whether the Fever can begin addressing their ongoing issues.
