INDIANAPOLIS — Sophie Cunningham has hope inspite of hardship.
Marred by injuries, the Indiana Fever suffered their fourth loss in five games Friday. The Washington Mystics defeated Indiana 88-84 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, relegating the Fever to seventh in league standings.
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Star guard Caitlin Clark (right groin) missed her 12th straight game and 21st of the season Friday. Guards Aari McDonald (right foot) and Sydney Colson (left ACL) are out for the season. To compensate for a lack of depth at point guard, Indiana signed Odyssey Sims to a hardship contract Sunday. On Thursday, the team added guard Kyra Lambert on a seven-day contract to add depth at point guard.
Cunningham accepted the Fever’s adversity but said the team “should be used to that by now,” acknowledging it as “part of being a pro athlete.” Cunningham believes the trials will bear fruit in time.
“You can never really control the outside things, you can’t control injuries, and so that’s why you have to control your mental and what you can control,” Cunningham said. “I think we have a really good group, we’re still a tight-knit group. We’re adding new players that are amazing, but it’s an adjustment period. The highs and lows, you have to stay steady. Every team faces it.
“I feel like we’ve faced it more than most this year, but I think this is going to set us up for something good. I don’t know if it’s this season, I don’t know if it’s next season but I think there’s always something you could be grateful and learn during those hard times.”
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Sims provided a positive for the Fever after finishing with 11 points on 50% shooting in 26 minutes off the bench. It was a resilient performance by the 11-year WNBA veteran who finished with zero points in her first appearance against Dallas on Tuesday. Sims said she’s giving herself grace as she learns coach Stephanie White’s system.
When asked about the balance between the team giving themselves grace while having a sense of urgency with the playoffs approaching, White empathized with her team.
“It takes a lot out of you when you lose players emotionally, mentally. But it’s sports. It’s part of the business,” White said. “Putting new pieces together, a couple of players playing outside of position, everybody feeling like they got to do a little bit more. The great thing about our position is that we control our destiny, but we have to understand the sense of urgency that it takes and understand that the margin is small.”
The playoffs are in sight with only 10 games remaining. After dropping two favorable games in a row with a loss to Dallas (9-25) on Tuesday, the Fever aren’t worried about the standings and elect to stay present-minded.
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“I don’t pay attention to all of that. For me, every game is a big game for us,” Cunningham said, discussing the tight playoff race. “You have to stack the days, and of course, you don’t want to lose two in a row, especially here on your homecourt, but for us, we got to flush this one and move to tomorrow. How are we going to go get Connecticut (Sun).”
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Marred by injuries, the Fever suffered their fourth loss in five games.
