July 18, 2007: Scoreboard | Video Play of the Day | Photo Gallery | Today in the WNBA Archive

PHOTO OF THE DAY Indiana's Tamika Catchings dropped 22 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and two steals on Chicago in a record-setting victory on Tuesday. Ron Hoskins/NBAE/Getty Images

Beasts of the East Fever Off to Record Start: The Fever did all they could to give Tuesday's game to the Sky, but, in the end, not even their own shortcomings could stop them from setting a record pace. With a chance to put the game away, Indiana missed four straight free throws in the final 12 seconds of the fourth quarter. Luckily for the Fever, they stepped it up on defense and forced a turnover before Chicago could attempt a potential game-winning shot. The loose ball trickled into the hands of All-Star Tamika Catchings, and with it so too did a 75-74 win, their 16th of the year against only four losses. Their record through 20 games is the best for any Eastern Conference team in the 11-year history of the WNBA. And while such a feat would normally make for a confident group, Indiana is remaining modest heading into Friday's matchup with the Shock. "Detroit's the champion," head coach Brian Winters said, "and until somebody knocks them off, they're still the champions. It's a big game -- they know it, and we know it." WHAT THEY'RE SAYING “Knee’s feeling a lot better. It’s a little sore, but it’s getting close to 100 percent. It feels good actually, excited to be back out there.” -- Washington's Coco Miller, who returned to action after missing four games with an injury. While the Mystics pulled away late to beat the Comets, Miller was not in top form. She failed to record a stat -- other than four missed field goals -- in 10 minutes of action. Miller

WHO'S HOT Jia Perkins, Sky 24 pts, 9-12 FG, 4-5 3-pt FG, 2-2 FT 75-74 loss at Fever Tamika Catchings, Fever 22 pts, 7-11 FG, 1-1 3-pt FG, 7-10 FT 75-74 win vs. Sky Janel McCarville, Liberty 17 pts, 8-11 FG 87-82 loss at Shock

Perkins

WHO'S NOT Sheri Sam, Fever 0-6 FG, 0-3 3-pt FG, 0 pts 75-74 win vs. Sky Katie Smith, Shock 3-10 FG, 1-6 3-pt FG, 10 pts 87-82 win vs. Liberty Dominique Canty, Sky 3-10 FG, 0-1 3-pt FG, 6 pts 75-74 loss at Fever

Sam

WHO'S ON TAP Thursday's Game ... No games on the schedule Friday's Games ... Storm-Sun, 7 p.m. ET Shock-Fever, 7 p.m. ET Comets-Liberty, 7:30 p.m. ET on NBA TV Monarchs-Silver Stars, 8 p.m. ET Mystics-Lynx, 8 p.m. ET Sparks-Mercury, 10 p.m. ET

Jackson

Ford

FILLING THE BOX STORE Cheryl Ford began the season's not-so-numerical second half much the same way she ended last weekend's All-Star Game -- with an MVP-caliber effort. Ford went for 19 points and 18 rebounds (eight of which came on the offensive end) in the Shock's 87-82 overtime win over the Liberty. Ford's teammate, Deanna Nolan, stuffed the stat sheet pretty well, too. She finished with 21 points, seven assists and five rebounds.

COMING UP CLUTCH The Mystics started the fourth quarter Tuesday trailing the Comets by 10 points, and it's fair to assume even the most loyal of fans began searching for the nearest exit. But Washington gave the home crowd plenty of reasons to stick around, holding Houston to just seven points in the period and pulling away for a 65-58 win. Alana Beard scored 10 of her 16 points in the frame and came up big during game-ending 17-1 run.

Beard