INDIANA NOTES:

• Cappie Pondexter scored the first eight points of the game for the Fever and finished with a season-high 18 points. Pondexter has scored in double-figures in seven of her 10 games with Indiana.
• The Fever outscored Dallas 23-14 in the second quarter and closed the period with a 9-2 run, holding Dallas to one field goal the final 2:01 of the second quarter. Indiana shot 9-of-16 (56.2 percent in the second quarter). The Fever led 43-39 at the half.
• The Fever had six players score in double-figures for the first time this season. The last time this happened was July 10, 2016 at Seattle.
• Victoria Vivians connected on four 3-point field goals and now has 50 for the season. With Kelsey Mitchell’s 59, 3-point field goals, the duo are the second rookie pair in WNBA history to record 50 or more in a season (Tonya Edwards (66) Katie Smith (52) in 1999 for Minnesota).
• Candice Dupree scored 12 points for the Fever. It is her sixth straight game scoring in double-figures and she has scored in double-digits in 19 of 27 games for Indiana.
• The Fever tallied a season-high 13 steals. Victoria Vivians had a season-high four steals.
• Natalie Achonwa grabbed five rebounds and moved into eighth on the Fever all-time list for career rebounds. She now has 454.
• Indiana forced Dallas into 21 turnovers and scored 29 points off turnovers.

DALLAS NOTES:

• Liz Cambage scored 37 points, giving her back-to-back 30-point performances and five such games on the year. She’s scored in double-figures in all 27 games and has scored at least 20 points in her past six outings.
• This was the first game this season without Skylar Diggins-Smith for Dallas, who missed the contest with a facial injury and did not travel.
• Kaela Davis matched her season-high with 15 points, contributing double-figure scoring for the fifth time this season. She made her fifth career start.
• Only four players scored for Dallas through the first three quarters. Glory Johnson hit a free throw with 3:09 remaining to become the fifth player to score.
• Azura Stevens came off the bench to score 12 points for the Wings. She matched career-highs in rebounds (nine) and assists (three), tying for the team lead in both.
• The Wings held a 41-25 advantage on the glass, including 18 offensive rebounds.  They also outscored the Fever 44-24 in the paint and put up 22 second chance points to Indiana’s 11.

Quoting Fever Head Coach Pokey Chatman

“That was a nice win. I told the players it was nice having six players in double figures. We stuck to our scout, we maintained consistency in our offensive looks and we attacked Liz Cambage in the halfcourt. She’s a really great player, you can’t just expect to stop her, so our approach was throw bodies at her and make her work harder. One way to get to her is to make her work on the defensive end, too. We forced her into seven turnovers which I thought was big. She got her points, but we didn’t let anybody else break out and hurt us.”

(on Cappie Pondexter’s fast start and 18 points)

“It helps when Cappie starts 6-for-6 and that just fuels everyone else. That really helped. The key for Cappie is that she’s such a veteran. The key is having the ball in her hands. It’s not necessary for her to score it, but to control it.”

(on Victoria Vivians)

“You know, I’m really proud of the way she is playing. She has risen to the challenge. We have challenged her a few times defensively this year, and she has stepped up and accepted what we’ve thrown at her. She’s not just a shooter. She’s got a real deameanor about her, an attitude, she’s feisty. She’s become someone we really trust on the defensive end.”

(on pace and tempo)

“I liked our pace. Even when [Dallas] made one of their shots, we got back into our halfcourt and made them work on defense. We never let them get comfortable. We got the ball into our offensive in about 5 to 6 seconds usually and that forced them to run with us. I thought tempo helped us.”

Quoting the Fever’s Cappie Pondexter

(On the Fever’s confidence at the beginning of the game)

“I think this younger generation, they don’t understand losing and winning.  They’re attitude always stays the same.  So it’s always a pleasure to kind of be around that energy.  It feels good to come out and play and execute for four quarters the way that we did on both ends of the floor.  We knew that Skylar Diggins was out, they had lost three in a row…  We knew Cambage (Liz) was going to be a tough match up, because she is for anybody in the league.  And we did a great job of knowing personnel and we really were in tune with our scout.”

Quoting the Fever’s Natalie Achonwa

(On the Fever’s defensive help in the post, from the guards)

“That’s really been our attention all year. So now you’re noticing because it’s the first time it’s really happened like that.  Pokey’s been getting on the guards on trying to help in the post because we’re undersized.  And so today it was executed that way.  That’s why you saw such a clog in the paint.”

(On the Fever’s composure at the end of the game)

“Definitely growth in that aspect.  And just trying to keep calm at the end of the game.”

(On Liz Cambage)

“I was just really trying to help my team anyway that I could.  Liz is one of the best players in the country, or really in the world actually, not even in this league.  So I knew I wasn’t going to be able to completely stop her.  So I was trying to help the team anyway that I could with getting deflections, getting steals and guarding her when I could.”

Quoting Wings Head Coach Fred Williams

“I just thought we left a lot on the free throw line.  That’s eight points there.  Having a lot possessions for the game.  Gotta put shots down.”

(On turnovers)

“Well it’s passing.  Communicating the pass and trying to get the ball inside.  Just thought the Fever did a good job of getting in the passing lanes and turning them into points at the other end. Just have to shoot better.  104 possessions.”

“Just have to shoot better.  That’s a lot of possessions for a team that’s of our caliber.  Just can’t risk a lot of shots.”

Quoting the Wings Liz Cambage

“We didn’t come ready to play.  We need energy.  We need to shoot the ball well.”

(On the difference between the first and second half)

“We were lacking the whole game.”

(On the absence of Skylar Diggins-Smith and Karima Christmas-Kelly)

“They’re not here.  That’s the absence.”

Quoting the Wings Kaela Davis

“We just have to take care of the ball.  Breaking stats down, I think over all we played a decent game.  but you know 29 points off of turnovers is something you can’t have.”

(On the difference between the first and second half)

“I think second half we just locked down defensive more.  We came out more focused.  I think we had a pretty good start.  But it’s the same thing.  It just comes down to execution and turnovers.”