Sophie Cunningham and the Indiana Fever secured a second-straight win on Tuesday night, jumping to 21-12 on the 2026 WNBA season after a 106-92 win over Jonquel Jones and the New York Liberty. The win leapfrogs the Fever past the Atlanta Dream in the WNBA standings, while the Liberty fall to 20-14, sitting in seventh.
With 1:10 remaining in the third quarter and Indiana holding an 81-68 lead, Cunningham was called for a personal foul after holding Jones. But it was the New York center who received a technical foul after the play, resulting in a missed free throw by Kelsey Mitchell.
This marked the first technical foul of the season for Jones. And if the WNBA doesn't rescind it, like it did the other day for Caitlin Clark, then Jones will be handed a $500 fine.
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With the new CBA agreed to earlier this year, the WNBA increased the fines for technical fouls. Players are now fined $500 for each of their first three technicals, $1,000 for technical fouls four through seven, with a warning letter issued after the fifth.
Beginning with a player's eighth technical foul, the fine increases to $1,500, along with a suspension for every other technical foul thereafter, including the eighth, 10th and 12th.
Numerous other Liberty players have been handed down fines for technical fouls. This list includes forward Satou Sabally, center Han Xu and guard Sabrina Ionescu, among others. Even head coach Chris DeMarco has picked up his fair share of fines, leading the team with five techs on the season.
Despite the tech and the loss, Jones still had a solid night, putting up a double-double of 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting and 10 rebounds. But it was not enough to stop Clar, who tallied 22 points of her own on 7-of-15 shooting, four rebounds and 10 assists. Even Mitchell got in the mix with 28 points on 11-of-16 shooting.
The Fever will face the Dallas Wings in their next matchup on Friday, while the Liberty will host the Los Angeles Sparks on Thursday.
