Fever Streak Into Playoffs, Setting Franchise Records Against Mercury

By Michael O'Neill: SPM IN Writer
Posted Monday, September 15, 2008

Indiana's Ebony Hoffman, a leading contender for WNBA Most Improved Player of the Year, scored 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Photo by Sue Wilden.

INDIANAPOLIS - While the last remnants of once-Hurricane Ike were blowing through Indianapolis, inside Conseco Fieldhouse, the Indiana Fever were forcing the Phoenix Mercury to weather a perilous storm of a different sort Sunday.

The Fever set a franchise record for points in a game and crossed the century mark in points for the first time in team history as they beat the Mercury 103-89. The win closed the season on a high note for the Fever, ensuring them of their fourth straight season with a record of .500 or better.

Indiana center Tammy Sutton-Brown continued her hot streak, leading all scorers with 26 points which also set her career high for points in a game. Sutton-Brown averaged 19 points over the last four games of the season, which earned her the honor of being named the WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week Monday.

Needless to say, Sutton-Brown was not alone in double-figures. Guard Katie Douglas scored 24 points, while forwards Ebony Hoffman and Tamika Catchings added 20 and 18 points respectively. It was just the second time in franchise history that Indiana had three players score at least 20 points in the same game, with the other instance happening just two weeks prior in a home game against the Atlanta Dream.

All four of these players had reached double figures by the end of the first half, with Catchings leading the way at 16 points. The Fever scored 57 points in the opening two quarters, the highest scoring half in Fever history, and the most points scored by any WNBA team in any half at Conseco Fieldhouse.

In addition to her 18 points, Hoffman wrapped up an impressive season by adding seven rebounds, including four off the offensive glass. Thanks in large part to her improved shooting range and rebounding numbers, Hoffman is one of the leading candidates for WNBA Most Improved Player of the Year and completes an intriguing starting lineup that could surprise teams in the playoffs. Hoffman’s rebound total was bested only by Catchings and reserve Mercury center Brooke Smith, who each had 9 rebounds to lead their teams.

Fever coach Lin Dunn talked about the impact of last two games, both home wins, on their upcoming playoff series with the Detroit Shock.

“I think the good thing is whenever you’re finishing up the season, you like to finish up with two wins in a row against two quality teams," she said. "That in itself gives you momentum, and we know that we have a huge challenge ahead of us. We really have to get focused on what it’s going to take us to beat [Detroit].”

Dunn continued, “I think the other thing was today we played to win. We played hard not just because it was our last home game but because we wanted a .500 season, and because we wanted to thank our fans for their tremendous support this year.”

Phoenix forward Diana Taurasi led the Mercury in scoring with 23 points, while guard Cappie Pondexter added 19. Reserves Le’coe Willingham and Kelly Mazzante also hit double figures, adding 13 and 12 points respectively. The Mercury’s 89 points was just over their season average of 88.5, and tied for the most points they had ever scored against the Fever, matching their total in last year’s game at Indianapolis. It was the Mercury’s fourth straight 80-point game against Indiana.

The Fever close out the season with a 17-17 record, marking their fourth straight season with a record of .500 or better. The Fever will start their 2008 WNBA playoffs by hosting the Eastern Conference top seed Detroit Shock Friday night. The Mercury, eliminated from playoff contention prior to their game against the Fever, fall to 16-18, marking the first time in three seasons that they did not reach the .500 mark on the season.

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