Roth Regatta

The Indiana Fever added yet another victory to their six wins against the Washington Mystics this season. Sunday’s match marked a second difficult game in the series playoffs, with Indiana winning 81-74 in overtime. With the victory, the Fever advance to the Eastern Conference finals while the Mystics are done for the season. Despite developing a new team this season, the Mystics made an excellent debut. The team may have lost in the first round of the playoffs for the past three years in a ro

w, but the players gave a great fight. The Fever, on the other hand, knew how to control the pace in the final moments of the game, using their veteran experience to defeat the less experienced Mystics. The Fever entered the game with good momentum, letting the Mystics know off the bat that Indiana intended to win. In fact, the Fever began the first four minutes of the quarter with a 12-4 run. However, Washington was able to react with the help of Lindsey Harding, who scored 6 points and cut Ind

iana’s lead to just 2 points by the end of the quarter. In the second quarter, the Mystics tied the score with two free throws from Monique Currie. Later, both teams exchanged baskets for several minutes; Indiana was trying to maintain its lead while Washington was fighting to get ahead. The Mystics were finally able to take control of the game at the end of the second quarter, when Alana Beard, who scored 7 points in a row in the final minutes, brought the score to 37-30 in Washington’s fav

or by halftime. Both teams entered the third quarter refreshed and reinvigorated, focusing on the win. Washington grabbed a lead of 9 points, but Indiana cut the lead, scoring 8 points to bring the score to 55-49. In the fourth quarter, the Mystics started strong, attaining an 11-point lead with the assistance of Crystal Langhorne and 9:01 left in the game. However, the Fever, in the form of Katie Douglas, Tammy Sutton-Brown, and especially Tamika Catchings, responded with great shooting; with only 6.7 seconds left, Catchings took the ball in the paint and Langhorne fouled her. And with only 2.9 seconds left, Catchings made two free throws that took the game to overtime. Once in overtime, Indian point guard Tully Bevilaqua motivated her team, sparking their confidence after scoring 5 points in a row and helping in defense. The Mystics, however, were unable to shoot well and began playing desperately. Indiana was able to maintain its composure, outscoring Washington 12-5 and ultimately obtaining the triumph 81-74. “We did not shoot as well as we have in the past,” Fever head coach Lin Dunn admitted after the game, “but we found a way to win. Tully Bevilaqua sparked us with her defense, had rebounds and showed toughness. Tammy Sutton-Brown was a warrior out there. Tamika Catchings had a magnificent, MVP performance.” The best scorers for the Indiana Fever were Tamika Catchings with 24 points, 16 rebounds and 5 assists; Tammy Sutton-Brown with 16 points and 9 rebounds; Katie Douglas with 13 points and 5 assists; and finally Tully Bavilaqua with 13 points and 7 rebounds. For the Washington Mystics the best contributors were Crystal Langhorne with 15 points and 10 rebounds; Lindsey Harding with 10 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds; and ultimately Alana Beard with 10 points The Indiana will start playing the Eastern Conference final series against Detroit this Wednesday, September 23rd.