Syd Colson shares vision for WNBA if she were commissioner
2x WNBA champion Syd Colson shares what she would prioritize in the WNBA if she was the commissioner of the league.
Sports Seriously
The Indiana Fever play their final game before the break for the FIBA World Cup when they face the Connecticut Sun on Friday, Aug. 28 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis (7:30 p.m. ET, ION).
Caitlin Clark is coming off a 37-point performance in which she had a career-high eight 3-pointers in the Fever’s 113-90 victory over the Chicago Sky on Sunday. Kelsey Mitchell is averaging 24.8 points a game for the Fever.
Indiana has already clinched a postseason bid and is jockeying for seeding.
The Sun have been eliminated from the postseason and are winding down their final season in Connecticut. Leila Lacan is averaging 11.6 points and 4.6 assists for the Sun.
The teams meet for the third time this season. The Fever have won each of the previous matchups.
USA TODAY is providing live updates of the action. Follow along below:
The Fever are up 13 with less than five minutes to go.
The Sun beat the Fever 23-21 in the third quarter, but that wasn’t enough to cut into Indiana’s lead.
Throw the Fever’s first quarter away. Indiana outscored the Sun 39-15 in the second to pull ahead. On her own, Kelsey Mitchell equalled the Sun’s entire point total in the frame with 15 points to reach a total of 17. Caitlin Clark had 12 points and five assists in the second quarter, she’s now up to 18 total points.
Diamond Miller cooled off in the second, shooting 1-of-4 from the field for five points in the period. Nell Angloma added a team-high six points in the second quarter.
This game is proof there are no nights off in the WNBA. The second-to-last place Sun are up big against the league’s best offense. Diamond Miller leads the Sun Connecticut with 12 points.
Indiana trailed by as many as 14 points in the first 10 minutes. Caitlin Clark has a team-high 6 points.
Less than two-and-a-half minutes into the game, all five Indiana starters have scored as they establish a 9-5 lead. Caitlin Clark was first to score with a 3-pointer.
All of the Sun’s five first points came from Diamond Miller.
We are officially underway at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
For the Sun, its Diamond Miller, Charlisse Leger-Walker, Raegan Beers, Aaliyah Edwards and Saniya Rivers in the opening rotation.
The Fever entered Mikayla Timpson into the starting lineup in place of Monique Billings on Aug. 8. Billings will now come of the bench for the eighth time this season as Timpson starts agains alongside Aliyah Boston, Kelsey Mitchell, Caitlin Clark and Lexie Hull.
Caitlin Clark spoke about her Taylor Swift-themed CC1 Nike signature shoe pregame.
“I had the Kobe version, but I feel like these are even better. It’ll come with some charms that everyone can pick and kind of make your own,” she said.
When asked if the global pop star has a pair of the shoes yet, Clark smiled:
“Taylor likes them.”
The WNBA will halt play for two weeks as many of its players depart for the FIBA Women’s Women’s Basketball World Cup beginning in Berlin, Germany, on Sept. 4.
Some players have already headed to their national teams. Leila Lacan (France) and Kennedy Burke (Turkey) won’t be with the Sun for tonight’s matchup against the Fever for that reason, Connecticut announced.
Meanwhile Caitlin Clark, who will be representing Team USA, joked pregame on Friday that she’s looking forward to playing games over the break instead of practicing.
Both the Fever and Sun posted some fun half-court shot attempts from their respective early morning shootarounds.
In no surprise that Caitlin Clark claimed the victory for the Fever:
Meanwhile, Charlisse Leger-Walker got the win in the Sun’s shooting contest:
Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Ashlon Jackson look ready for a day in the sun as the arrive for the evening matchup:
Indiana is in the house! Here’s a look at the team’s arrival fits, including Aliyah Boston, Caitlin Clark, Monique Billings, Raven Johnson and more:
What time is the Indiana Fever vs. Connecticut Sun game?
- Date: Friday, Aug. 28
- Time: 7:30 p.m. ET (4:30 p.m. PT)
- Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse (Indianapolis)
The Fever and Sun play at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday, Aug. 28, at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.