The Indiana Fever just got punched in the mouth, suffering “one of our worst games of the whole season” in a 93-77 loss to the Washington Mystics on Sunday. They gave up a staggering 34 points in the first quarter and never even sniffed a lead. Ouch. That kind of performance puts a team on track for a lower seed in the 2026 WNBA playoffs, and you know that stings.
You Gotta Punch First
Cunningham, never one to mince words, talked about the disaster on Thursday’s episode of *No Hesitation with Sophie Cunningham & Drew Hanlen*. She made it clear that while it “sucks that it happened right now,” at least it happened *now* and “not during playoffs.” You gotta appreciate that mindset, learning from the gut punch. “I think you can still learn from it a little bit,” she said around the 3:45 mark. But the biggest takeaway? That first quarter. “As a team, in that first quarter,that’s something that we’ve got to get better at. We talk about this all the time. We’ve got to punch first. We’ve got to set the tone early,” Cunningham emphasized around the 8:40 mark. That’s the kind of blunt truth every team needs to hear.
Beyond the Three-Ball
Here’s where it gets interesting. Sunday’s loss saw the Fever shoot a paltry 21 percent from behind the arc. That’s a brutal number, especially for a team that usually averages a WNBA-high 39.3 percent from deep. You’d think that’s the whole problem, right? Nope. Cunningham actually pushed back, saying the Fever players don’t “live and die by threes.” Co-host Drew Hanlen pointed out Cunningham herself is a more efficient shooter with more minutes, but Sophie thinks team success is all about getting *depth players* involved. “We had one of the best offenses in WNBA history with the amount of points that we scored this season in a stretch,” she said, highlighting a peak performance. So, what’s the secret sauce? “I think my biggest thing is our ball movement,” she stated. “I think it’s our assists. I think it’s getting involved. I think when we have anywhere from five, to six, to seven people into double figures, and everyone’s getting involved… we’re phenomenal.” The message is clear: yes, they have great three-point shooters, but unlocking *everyone* is when they hit another gear.
The good news is the Fever didn’t let that Mystics game linger. They bounced back hard on Tuesday with a blowout win against a Minnesota Lynx team that sat starters in the second half. Now, it all comes down to Thursday night. The Fever are on the road in Minneapolis for their regular-season finale against the Lynx at 8 p.m. ET. A win and they lock up the No. 5 seed in the 2026 WNBA playoffs, per ESPN’s Michael Voepel. A loss, combined with a Washington Mystics win over the Chicago Sky, drops them to the No. 6 seed. Cunningham will definitely be looking for that “punch first” mentality from the jump. Let’s see if they can bring that phenomenal, ball-moving offense to seal the deal.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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