Sun-Fever Preview

By NOEY KUPCHAN
Posted Jun 20 2012 3:09PM

Kara Lawson believes pulling out close victories will help the Connecticut Sun in the long run.

The Eastern Conference leaders could find themselves in another tightly contested matchup Thursday night.

Seeking the best road start in franchise history, Connecticut tries for a season-high fourth consecutive win overall in the back end of a home-and-home set with the Indiana Fever.

The Sun (9-2) recorded their most lopsided victory Friday, 97-55 over New York, but have since had to sweat out a couple of narrow wins. Two nights after winning 75-73 at Atlanta, Connecticut let an early 12-point lead slip away before defeating Indiana 88-85 in overtime Tuesday.

"Facing pressure situations and being forced to execute against great players, that's what we need right now," said Lawson, who scored a season-high 22 points Tuesday. "We don't need a bunch of 30 or 40-point blowouts.

"We need to have our feet put to the fire in the regular season so, come playoff time, when we go into overtime, we not only have that sense of calm, but we just have great confidence that we can make plays and win the game."

Connecticut is 3-0 on the road for the third time in franchise history but has never won its first four games in opposing buildings.

While the Sun have won six of seven overall, the Fever (5-4) have lost four of five.

Katie Douglas proved to be the lone bright spot for Indiana on Tuesday, scoring 23 points to go with a season-high nine rebounds.

"We just didn't come out the way we'd like to," Douglas said. "Give them credit.

"I'm proud of that we had showed a lot of resiliency, character and perseverance in order to kind of claw back. We definitely got back in the game and gave ourselves a chance to win, but ultimately we'd like to not use a lot of energy and effort to get back in the game."

Returning home could help the Fever get back on track. Indiana has gone 3-1 at Conseco Fieldhouse with the only loss coming 89-81 to Connecticut on June 8.

Tamika Catchings had a season-high 31 points in that game and Douglas scored 23, but they were the only Indiana players in double figures while the Sun had seven.

Connecticut leads the league with 85.5 points per game, and Tina Charles averages 20.2 to rank third in the WNBA. Charles, though, was held to 14 on Tuesday and had a season-low 12 points at Indiana on June 8 but grabbed 14 rebounds.

Fever hit 15 3-pointers, beat Sun 95-61

Posted Jun 21 2012 11:05PM

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Briann January scored 20 points and Katie Douglas added 17 to help the Indiana Fever cruise to a 95-61 victory over the Connecticut Sun on Thursday night.

Tamika Catchings had 13 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists for the Fever (6-4), who set a franchise record with 15 3-pointers. The Fever had lost four of five, including an 88-85 defeat at Connecticut on Tuesday.

``Our energy was not good at Connecticut,'' Douglas said. ``Our foot was full throttle on the gas from the start (in this game). That's the way we need to come out and play every night and set the tone. The game tonight was more about us, not our opponent. Coming out and playing hard with a lot of energy and focus.''

Mistie Mims scored 11 points and Kara Lawson and Ashja Jones added 10 for the Sun (9-3). Tina Charles, the league's No. 3 scorer, was held to six points on 3-for-11 shooting.

It was a chippy game that featured five technical fouls, including four against the Sun. Connecticut coach Mike Thibault was ejected in the third quarter for arguing with officials.

``They looked like a team excited to play us after the game in Connecticut,'' Thibault said. ``They competed better than us right from the get-go. Obviously shot lights out, 15 3s. I just wish we could have played better.''

The Fever scored the game's first 10 points. Zellous scored 11 points in the opening quarter to help the Indiana take a 25-13 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Then, the Fever really got going.

Powered by an 11-point second quarter from Douglas, Indiana led 57-30 at halftime. The Fever made 11 of 14 shots in the second quarter. The Fever made nine 3-pointers in the first half, a franchise record for a half. The 57 points tied for the second-most in a half in franchise history.

Three Fever players Douglas, Zellous and January scored in double figures in the first half. Indiana held Charles to two points and three rebounds before the break.

``I was very pleased with our team tonight,'' Fever coach Lin Dunn said. ``We set the tone early. I was disappointed we let the game get away the other night. Our bench did a good job. It was a well-played first half. We did things we had talked about. Our defense set the tone for us.''

Indiana didn't score for the first 3:40 of the third quarter, but the Fever had a nice cushion to work with.

Thibault was ejected after his second technical foul. The Fever led 69-49 at the end of the third quarter.

``Today was their day,'' Mims said. ``They came out very aggressive and created a real big hole that had us on our heels. They played extremely well and their momentum was on the upside again.''

Jeanette Pohlen's 3-pointer in the final minute gave the Fever the team record for 3s.

The Fever also celebrated the 40-year anniversary of Title IX, which ensured equality for women across all educational platforms, including sports. Former U.S. Senator Birch Bayh co-authored the legislation that was signed into law June 23, 1972.

Fever COO and GM Kelly Krauskopf honored Bayh, known as the ``Father of Title IX,'' during a pregame on-court ceremony before the game.

Ann Meyers, vice president of the Phoenix Suns and the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury, was featured in an on-court arena interview at halftime. Meyers was the first woman to sign an NBA free agent contract, reaching an agreement with the Indiana Pacers in 1979.

WNBA president Laurel Richie called Indiana's celebration ``special.''

• Sun: --
• Fever: --

• Sun: Charles, Jones, Thibault, Thibault
• Fever: Davenport

• Lead Changes: 0
• Times Tied: 0

• Arena: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
• Officials: #8 Daryl Humphrey, #39 Michael Price, #21 Byron Jarrett
• Attendance: 6326
• Duration: 1:41