The Indiana Fever host the Toronto Tempo at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Tuesday, June 16, with their win streak in view after multiple near-misses and a clear issue with fouling. At halftime, Indiana leads 57-55, while Toronto’s Brittney Sykes left with a non-con
Brittney Sykes didn’t look like she’d be walking it off. With 6:46 remaining in the third quarter. the Toronto Tempo forward went down in a non-contact incident while driving to the basket. covered her face with her jersey as teammates surrounded her. and then was helped off the court by team personnel before heading straight back to the locker room. Sykes exited the game with 11 points.
The Fever didn’t get the clean kind of separation they wanted either. At the time Sykes left. the matchup had already turned physical—after Toronto’s Marina Mabrey was called for a loose ball foul with 8:04 remaining in the third. Mabrey stared down Indiana’s Lexie Hull after bumping Hull’s arm. The Tempo led 57-55.
Indiana is aiming to extend its win streak Tuesday against the Toronto Tempo at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Fever have won three straight despite surrendering double-digit leads in each game. On June 8. Indiana beat the Washington Mystics 78-76 after Caitlin Clark hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. despite the Fever surrendering a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter. On June 11. Indiana led by 19 over the Chicago Sky before Chicago forced overtime and then pulled away for a 114-106 win. On June 13, Indiana coughed up an 11-point lead against the Connecticut Sun before still winning 85-75.
When asked about what’s driving that shaky pattern, Kelsey Mitchell pointed straight to fouls. “A lot of it, you get a little comfortable, but I think… discipline,” Mitchell said. “Not fouling people and sending them to the line. I think that’s the big for us… that’s one our Achilles’ heel right now. That’s just kind of (letting) people back in the game.” Mitchell is averaging 20.3 points per game. and the Fever lead the league in fouls per game with an average of 23.9 fouls per game.
Those frustrations showed up again early—though not always in the way the box score makes it obvious. Fever forward Myisha Hines-Allen was headed back to the locker room with 5:18 remaining in the first quarter after Toronto’s Isabelle Harrison hit her in the face while contesting Hines-Allen’s layup attempt. No foul was called on the play. Trainers used towels in an effort to stop a nose bleed. and Hines-Allen later was listed as questionable to return after taking the hit to the face.
On the court, Indiana tried to turn momentum into control. Through the first half, the Fever held a three-point lead over Toronto, 57-55, after a back-and-forth first half. Mitchell led with 13 points, while Aliyah Boston added 11 points and seven rebounds. Clark was also on double-double watch with nine points, nine assists, and five turnovers.
Indiana’s early work inside mattered too: the Fever were controlling the boards 23-15 and held an advantage in the paint 32-26. For Toronto, three players were in double digits, led by 14 points from Laura Juskaite. Marina Mabrey had 11 points and five assists, and Isabelle Harrison contributed 10 points and seven rebounds.
Clark’s day had started slowly, but her passing already looked like a threat. She connected with teammate Makayla Timpson on a behind-the-back pass under the basket to give the Fever a 42-40 lead with 3:36 remaining in the second quarter. By halftime. Clark had climbed to seven points and six assists after a slow start that included going 0-of-5 from the field and 0-of-2 from 3 early in the game.
Sophie Cunningham kept pressing from long range. After recording three 3-pointers late in Indiana’s 85-75 win over the Connecticut Sun on Saturday. Cunningham connected from beyond the arc to beat the buzzer at the end of the first quarter. Cunningham had three points in six minutes off the bench. while Mitchell led all scorers with nine points at that stage. Brittney Sykes led Toronto with six points, and Isabelle Harrison had five.
As the game progressed, scoring from the Tempo remained spread out. The Tempo had four players in double figures, with Marina Mabrey leading Toronto’s charge with 18 points. Toronto also drew attention off the court recently: Isabelle Harrison is available for Tuesday’s game against the Fever two days after being ejected from Toronto’s 102-77 loss to the Atlanta Dream over a Flagrant 2 foul. The Dream’s Angel Reese was trying to post up in the lane when she was taken down by Harrison. The account of that game had Harrison jawing with Reese the entire time. with the incident appearing to come to a head at 6:05 of the third quarter with the tackle.
Myisha Hines-Allen’s status hung over the Fever side as the first quarter ended. and Brittney Sykes’s injury changed the rhythm of the third. Even with Indiana in front at halftime. the match’s most telling storyline may be how often the Fever let games get away—especially when Mitchell has been saying out loud that discipline and avoiding fouls are where the fix has to start.
The Fever and Tempo are set to tip at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT) on Tuesday, June 16, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Indiana Fever Toronto Tempo Caitlin Clark Kelsey Mitchell WNBA Game highlights Brittney Sykes injury Myisha Hines-Allen Isabelle Harrison Gainbridge Fieldhouse