Katie Douglas leads as Indiana Fever beat Phoenix Mercury 91-86; Win fourth straight – WNBA Recap
Katie Douglas netted a game-high 26 points and dished out six assists as Indiana Fever won their fourth consecutive game with a 91-86 victory over Phoenix Mercury on Tuesday night at the Conseco Fieldhouse. With this victory, Fever
also snapped Phoenix’s four-game winning streak and improved their record to 7-3.
Douglas was on fire against the Mercury, shooting 9 for 15 from the field. The 32-year-old was lethal from the three point range and converted 6 of her 9 three point attempts. Douglas did not win the game for the Pacers all by
herself though; she got some much needed help from Jessica Davenport as well. Indiana's 6-foot-5 centre shot at an exceptional 10-of-11 from the field, finishing the game with a career-high 25 points.
Forward Tamika Catchings was the third leading scorer for Indiana, contributing 14 points, seven assists, five rebounds, four steals and three blocks.
Catchings praised the contribution of her teammate Davenport and said, "She's a dominant force down there." "When you get behind her, it's hard to block her shot and it's hard to get in front of her.” "She's been so productive
for us. I expect a lot more from her."
DeWanna Bonner tried everything she could to give Phoenix the fifth consecutive win, but at the end the offensive battery of Fever proved to be a bit too much. Bonner ended with 15 points, three assists and three rebounds. Diana
Taurasi also chipped in with 15 but she was just 5 for 14 from the field and also committed five turnovers. Marie Ferdinand-Harris once again played well for the Mercury and came off the bench with 13 points while Penny Taylor racked up 10 points and five
assists in the loss.
Indiana completed hounded Candice Dupree, Phoenix’s most consistent scoring threat and limited her to single-digits for the first time this season. Dupree finished the game with just nine points, scoring just four in the crucial
second half.
Coming off four straight victories, Mercury did not find their rhythm this time. They committed 19 turnovers, and made just 15 of 24 from free throw line. Fever on the other hand, committed only 10 turnovers and pinned 14 of 18
free throws. Indiana shot 59 percent from the field in the first half of the game.
The Fever carried an 11-8 lead early in the first quarter but Alexis Gray-Lawson’ s free throw with 02:19 to go in the quarter tied the game at 15-15. Fever then turned it on and went on a 9-3 run, taking a 24-18 lead into the
second. Both teams scored 21 points each in the second quarter as Indiana maintained its six-point lead, 45-39, at halftime.
Fever opened the third quarter on an 8-2 run, capped by Douglas’ two 3-pointers, to go ahead by 53-41. Indiana widened its margin to 18 points, 72-54, with 02:52 to go in the third. Phoenix however scored eight unanswered points
at that point to cut the deficit to ten points and Ferdinand-Harris’ three-pointer in the closing seconds trimmed Indiana’s lead to eight points, 73-65, at the end of third period.
The Phoenix bench tried to spark a comeback in the fourth quarter but Indiana continued their hot-shooting and walked away with seventh victory of the season.
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