The Indiana Fever are back in the win column for the first time in nearly a year after beating the Atlanta Dream 90-87 on Sunday.
With their first victory since June 19, 2022, the Fever ended their 20-game losing streak, which was tied for the longest in WNBA history with the Tulsa Shock. It was also the first win for first-year head coach Christie Sides.
“We talked about it from Day 1 in our team meeting: Culture is the most important thing,” Sides said. “Culture, playing hard, being the hardest-working team in practice. And I promise you, coaches say it all the time, but these guys have worked really hard every day.”
Last season was one of the worst in franchise history, with the team finishing 5-31. The Fever started the season with back-to-back losses to the Sun and Liberty but finally managed to prevail against the Dream, with NaLyssa Smith powering the team to a win.
Her double-double (23 points, 13 rebounds) was backed up by rookie Aliyah Boston (13 points, 7 rebounds) and Queen Egbo off the bench (10 points, 8 rebounds). Six Fever players finished in double-digits.
“We’re building something here, and that’s going to take time,” Sides said. “This was just a huge piece for us to get this win — on the road, home opener for Atlanta, great crowd. Everyone focused on their role and did exactly what they were supposed to do. Those are the things we’ve been working on.”