Fever Coach Stephanie White Delivers Blunt Reality Check on Title Contender Status After 12th Loss originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Indiana Fever looked like they were on their way to securing an upset win against the defending champions, the New York Liberty, on Tuesday night at Barclays Center. The Fever pushed the Liberty in the first half, but Breanna Stewart and Co. asserted their dominance in the second half to come away with a 98-84 victory.
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This was Indiana’s second straight loss to the Liberty following Wednesday’s 98-77 win in favor of the champs. Following Tuesday’s defeat, the Fever have fallen to 12-12 on the season and are currently sixth in the league.
Indiana head coach Stephanie White spoke to reporters after the game, and one of the questions she was asked was about her team’s status as legitimate title contenders this season. The Fever shot-caller got brutally honest in her response.
“Yeah, I mean, look, that’s for everybody else to discuss whether we’re really ready to be a contender or not,” she said. “Certainly, there’s no substitute for experience. [Natasha Howard] and [Sydney Colson] are the ones on our team that have championship-caliber experience. So, you got to go through it.
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“… The difference in championship-caliber teams are those two or three minutes in a ballgame where you can’t have the miscommunications, you can’t have the breakdowns, you can’t have the poor shot selections, playing outside yourself, whatever it may be.
“Games and series are won and lost in those small margins. … We’ve got to get to a point where we’re not having those moments and those lulls.”
Based on White’s definition of championship contenders, the Fever did not look the part on Tuesday night — especially after they allowed the Liberty to go on a 29-8 run in the three-minute mark of the third and leading into the fourth quarter.
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Simply put, this team will need to perform significantly better to be considered a serious threat to this year’s championship.
Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White reacts during a game.© Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images


Indiana Fever Miss the Services of Caitlin Clark
Caitlin Clark missed her second straight game on Tuesday due to a lingering groin injury, and it’s no coincidence that the Fever suffered back-to-back losses.
Coach White said before the game that there’s no update yet on Clark and that she is unable to provide a firm timetable on when the reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year will be able to return to action.
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This hints at the possibility of Clark missing more games, which only means that the Fever will need to continue holding down the fort without their best player on the floor.
Related: Caitlin Clark-Angel Reese Rematch in Doubt After Concerning Injury Update
Related: Sophie Cunningham Turns Heads With Her Outfit for Fever-Liberty Game
Related: Congratulations Pouring In for Fever Star Aliyah Boston on Tuesday
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 23, 2025, where it first appeared.
