Sophie Cunningham and the Indiana Fever suffered a tough loss to the Las Vegas Aces in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series on Sunday. The No. 3 seed Aces hosted the No. 6 seed Fever at Michelob ULTRA Arena, and the defending champions dominated the contest to win 102-85.
Reigning MVP A’ja Wilson went off for 38 points on 15-of-19 shooting, tying a playoff career-high. She added 16 rebounds, two assists, two steals, four blocks and two triples in 35 minutes of action.
Caitlin Clark logged a 15-point, 10-assist double-double in the loss. Kelsey Mitchell struggled with her shot, going 4-of-16 for 12 points. Aliyah Boston scored a team-high 18 points with eight rebounds.
Cunningham, meanwhile, came off the bench for 13 points. She went 3-of-6 from downtown.
The 6-foot-1 guard, however, now faces punishment from the WNBA. This follows Cunningham’s foul on Aces star Chelsea Gray in the first quarter.
Cunningham violated Gray’s landing space as the Fever star contested Gray’s jumper. The referees initially called it a common foul, but upgraded it to a Flagrant 1 after reviewing the incident.
Under WNBA rules, Cunningham’s punishment will come in the form of a $500 fine. She will also receive one flagrant point. Cunningham will be suspended for one game if she accumulates four points throughout the playoffs.
Cunningham and Co. will need to dust themselves off quickly after this blowout loss. They return home for Game 2 on Tuesday. The Fever will need to win that matchup to keep their season alive. The Aces will win this best-of-three series if they beat the Fever on Tuesday.
Tipoff from Gainbridge Fieldhouse is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET.
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