INDIANAPOLIS – “I was a freshman, I think.”
“Yes, I was in eighth grade.”
That’s what Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark said quietly to each other on opposite sides of the Indiana Fever postgame stage, respectively, as Kelsey Mitchell answered a question about the team’s first four-game home winning streak since 2015.
But with an 88-81 loss to the Washington Mystics, the Fever earned their fourth straight win at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, something this team hadn’t done in nine years. Mitchell — who was sandwiched between the franchise’s first overall picks for 2022 and 2023 — is the longest-tenured Fever player, and even she still played and visited Ohio State the last time the Fever did so.
‘We just keep improving.’ After a brutal start, Fever are now back in the play-off race
On Wednesday there was another sold out crowd of 17,274 people to see the Fever roll. It was the Fever’s third straight win overall, all of which came at home in the past week. The Fever never trailed on Wednesday as they reached their third-highest points total of the year. After a 1-8 start, Indiana has won five of its past seven games.
“These were important games and I’m proud of us,” Clark said. “I felt like we took it one game at a time and never looked too far ahead.”
The Fever are now 4-4 at home after losing their first four games at Gainbridge Fieldhouse this season. The young team has learned to rely on the big crowd for boosts, especially in close matches.
“We feel the energy,” Boston said. “We use that to our advantage. They cheer super loud, so we’re just thankful that they keep showing up and they’re super loud because we’re playing hard for them too.
At least 15,000 fans came to watch the Fever in all eight home games this year. While those spectators produced groans and quiet moments at the start of the year, lately they have cheered endlessly for the home team.
“We are proud of our city and the people who represent us,” Mitchell said. “So I think it feeds us. It kind of gives us a boost or what we need as a group.
The trio of Mitchell, Boston and Clark combined for 62 of Indiana’s 88 points in the victory. They – along with NaLyssa Smith (11 points) – have won side-by-side consolations, and the win column is starting to reflect that.
Now the Fever have five straight road games coming up. When they head to Atlanta to face the Dream on Friday, they will have a shot at their first four-game winning streak since 2015. The mission now is to travel with this momentum and consistency.
“You just have to take it one game at a time,” Clark said of the key to piling up wins. “And the next two are against teams we played last week, so they will definitely want revenge. But I also feel that the confidence that we have been able to build in the last three games, we continue to take a step forward and learn every game. And if we do lose one, how will we respond? I think that’s been a big thing for us too.”
The Fever responded to a demoralizing loss in Connecticut on June 10 with three much-needed wins in front of their home fans. If they can stay afloat on their upcoming road trip, this team will have a legitimate shot at making the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
This article originally appeared on the Indianapolis Star: The sold-out Indiana Fever crowd rode to cheers with four straight home wins
