Stephanie White knows the Fever will be in trouble if they start losing.
Coach Stephanie White Has Strong Words for Indiana Fever Despite Third Straight Win originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Indiana Fever won their third straight game despite the absence of Caitlin Clark and improved to 15-12 on the season, keeping them at No. 6 in the WNBA standings.
Despite their recent winning run, however, head coach Stephanie White made sure to remind her team that they are still far from their ultimate goal. Besides, the Fever have yet to qualify for the playoffs this campaign, with the battle for the top eight seeds tighter than ever.
Stephanie White's Stern Reminder for the Fever
Indiana beat the Phoenix Mercury at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Wednesday, 107-101
While leading scorer Kelsey Mitchell struggled offensively, scoring just eight points on 3-of-10 shooting, Aari McDonald picked up the slack with 27 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Aliyah Boston also stepped up in a big way, finishing with 22 points and 12 rebounds.
Indiana got off to a slow start and trailed 30-20 after the first quarter, but a hot 35-20 second quarter allowed them to come back and take the lead. It was a back-and-forth battle after that, with Phoenix even taking the lead early in the fourth quarter.
Fortunately, a 10-0 run right after the Mercury took the lead allowed Indiana to pull away for good.
After the win, White expressed how proud she is of the Fever in her locker room speech. That said, she emphasized that the team cannot be too complacent and should only continue to build as the battle for the postseason intensifies.
"Just a hell of a job," White said to her players. "That was a big win. We stacked a day. We got to continue to stack. Okay? We ain't got no room for sliding back, okay? No room for slippage. Every day, there's a sense of urgency. Okay?"
Fever Facing Tough Road Ahead
Indiana's win certainly took them closer to making the playoffs, but as White said, there's no room for error for the team.
While they are in the top half of the WNBA standings, they are only a game ahead of the seventh-seeded Las Vegas Aces and just one and a half games ahead of the eighth-seeded Washington Mystics.
The Valkyries, who sit at ninth, are only two games below the Fever. With that in mind, Indiana can't afford to go on a skid if they want to keep their hold on the playoff spots.
Indiana plays the Dallas Wings, Seattle Storm, Los Angeles Sparks, Mercury and Chicago Sky in their next five outings.
Related: Fever vs. Mercury: Why Did DeWanna Bonner Leave Indiana After 9 Games Played?
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 31, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Basketball
