Indiana Fever beat Seattle Storm 78-61; Romp to their fifth straight victory – WNBA Recap
On Tuesday night, the resurgent Indiana Fever extended their winning streak to five games as they routed the Seattle Storm 78-61 at Conseco Fieldhouse. With this victory, Indiana improved 8-3 and maintained its top position in
the Eastern Conference.
Indiana held the Strom to just 43.1 percent shooting (25-58) on the night, including a 9 for 25 effort from three-point range. Indiana on the other hand, shot 53.7 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from 3-point range.
Jessica Davenport led Fever with 15 points and seven rebounds. The 26-year-old also blocked four shots and hit 7 for 11 from the field. Tamika Catchings had 11 points, six rebounds, four steals, three assists while Tangela Smith
finished the game with 10 points for Indiana.
Erin Phillips who started in place of guard Briann January, who has been sidelined for the rest of the season with a knee injury, contributed seven points and three steals in the victory. It was the first game for Phillips since
2009 and she was pleased to contribute.
"I have a lot of confidence in myself and working really hard," Phillips said. "I have superstars around me so having them help me and encourage me makes life so much easier."
Sue Bird tried to will the Storm to victory, but she fell short despite scoring a game 21 points and five assists. The 30-year-old guard pinned 5 of 6 three-pointers on the night. Swin Cash posted 13 points and grabbed four rebounds
for Storm, who have now lost two of their last three games.
When the game got tight early in the fourth quarter, Shavonte Zellous and the Indiana Fever turned up their offensive pressure and the streaking Seattle Storm just could not keep up. Zellous scored all of her eight points in the
last quarter and put the game out of the reach of the visiting team.
Six players scored for Indiana in the first quarter as they carried a five-point lead, 23-18, into the second. After a closely contested opening period, the Fever blew the game open by outscoring the Storm 19-9 in the second.
Trailing by 15 points at halftime, Seattle limited the Fever to just 16 points in the third quarter and trimmed the deficit to 11 points, 58-47, heading into the fourth.
Lecoe Willingham's lay-up brought Seattle within six, 60-54, early in the fourth quarter. Zellous responded immediately and capped Indiana’s 7-0 run with her five consecutive points as Fever raced to a 67-54 lead with 05:50 to
go in the game. Indiana maintained their hold on Storm down the stretch and wrapped up a three-game road trip with yet another impressive victory.
Tags: