The Indiana Fever returned home again Friday night vs. the Dallas Wings for the second home game in a row, riding high following a decisive win last week against the New York Liberty to open the home season.
While the Fever entered the contest sitting at 2-1, the Wings entered at 0-2, looking to get on track and they came ready to play. From the start, the game was a physical one, with numerous players hitting the floor early and the Wings were playing like they had something to prove.
The Fever did a good job controlling the ball and stayed in the lead for the majority of the first half, including a Fever buzzer-beater to close out the first quarter. Just like in the home opener against New York, the Fever shared the ball perfectly and every starter playing an important role on both sides of the ball.
With elbows flying and tensions running high, the Fever closed out the first half with a 12-point lead and hoped to see the second half end on the same note.
Although Dallas closed the third quarter strong with a big run, the name of the game for the Fever was ball control and they owned it during the final half.
The final quarter was as physical and intense as the rest of the game and saw numerous players hitting the floor and throwing elbows as emotions were running at a high, but the Fever were able to close out the Wings, led by Natalie Ochonwa (17 points), Kelsey Mitchell (14 points) and Candice Dupree (14 points), as the Fever took home the 79-64 win, improving to 3-1, their best start since 2012.
-Reggie Edwards
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