Near the end of a grinding third quarter, in which bodies hitting the floor and whistles were nearly as common as baskets, the Indiana Fever decided they weren\u2019t ready for their season to end.<\/p>\n
Leading by 10 points with less than 30 seconds remaining in the third quarter of Tuesday\u2019s Game 2, Fever center Aliyah Boston muscled up a basket over two Atlanta Dream defenders. Seconds later, Indiana reserve guard Shey Peddy deflected Atlanta\u2019s inbounds pass into the hands of guard Kelsey Mitchell, who found Boston open at the top of the key. Boston swung the ball to guard Lexie Hull, who was uncovered on the left wing and hit her only 3-pointer of the game as the period expired.<\/p>\n
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In an instant, a 10-point Indiana lead ballooned to 15. Hull bumped chests with Boston and forward Natasha Howard, and she gestured for the Gainbridge Fieldhouse crowd to grow louder.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe energy, everyone felt it,\u201d Boston said. \u201cThe crowd was going crazy, and we just used that momentum into the fourth.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Fever\u2019s grittiness was on full display in their 77-60 victory, pushing their first-round series against the Dream back to Atlanta for a series-deciding Game 3 on Thursday. The sequence to close the quarter typified Indiana\u2019s night. It was sometimes clunky, but in the end, there were cheers. As a result, Indiana picked up its first playoff win since 2015.<\/p>\n
The five-point sprint to close out the third was part of a 15-0 run that stretched across the third and fourth quarters. In a matter of minutes, an eight-point cushion became 23, and the Dream never recovered.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThey made some key plays defensively to get out in transition and get some easy looks,\u201d Dream All-Star center Brionna Jones said. \u201cThey came out and they were aggressive. We needed to match that better tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Fever\u2019s defense was stifling during the critical run. And their offense showed great balance, as five players scored during the key stretch \u2014 none of them was Mitchell, who finished the win with a game-high 19 points.<\/p>\n
Through two games, Indiana\u2019s 3-point defense has been stout. The Dream, who finished the regular season No. 2 in offensive rating, made only three of their first 17 3-pointers before reserve guard Te-Hina Paopao hit two 3s in the final two minutes. That will again be critical in Game 3, when the Fever will look to fluster Atlanta\u2019s Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray. The duo combined to score only 19 points after combining for 40 in Game 1.<\/p>\n
Dream coach Karl Smesko called the performance \u201cjust an off-day.\u201d Fever coach Stephanie White said her team built strengths.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThis is a group that\u2019s confidence has never wavered,\u201d White said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been in every kind of situation you can imagine and we\u2019ve been able to find ways to put ourselves in position to win, and (Game 3) will be no different.\u201d<\/p>\n
Seattle\u2019s Dominique Malonga grows up in a hurry<\/p>\n
The only saving grace from the Storm\u2019s calamitous 25-point loss in Game 1 was the in-game turnaround from Dominique Malonga. After a tough first half in which she shot 1 of 8 from the field and was schooled by A\u2019ja Wilson, Malonga made all three of her field-goal attempts in the second half, adding six rebounds.<\/p>\n
Two days later, Malonga didn\u2019t need an adjustment period. The 19-year-old rookie was the difference-maker for Seattle in a must-win game. She recorded a consecutive double-double and finished with a team-high plus-11 as the Storm completed a nine-point fourth-quarter comeback to even the first-round series against Las Vegas at one game apiece.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThere is an evolution in every single game that we play, we have not seen the same Dom in two games,\u201d Storm veteran Nneka Ogwumike said.<\/p>\n
Coach Noelle Quinn kept the No. 2 pick on the court for the final 6:04, trusting Malonga to guard Wilson and provide Seattle with a presence on the glass. Wilson didn\u2019t score during that entire stretch and had only one rebound.<\/p>\n
The reigning MVP\u2019s final shot attempt, as the Aces held onto a two-point lead, fell short against Malonga\u2019s closeout, and she didn\u2019t stop there. She raced the full length of the court, beat Wilson to the opposing goal, caught an outlet pass from Skylar Diggins and finished through contact to give the Storm their first lead of the second half with 31 seconds to play.<\/p>\n
\u201cNice catch and tough finish by her,\u201d Diggins said. \u201cI\u2019m really impressed by the free throw. That\u2019s a big moment by a 19-year-old.\u201d<\/p>\n
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No team played more clutch minutes than Seattle (110) during the regular season, but Malonga wasn\u2019t often on the court, appearing for only 23 minutes. But she demanded that time in Game 2. She rose to the challenge of guarding Wilson, and she battled Wilson for position and didn\u2019t foul her in the fourth quarter. Malonga also made the right play time and again; her assist to Erica Wheeler to cut the lead to three was among the biggest moments of the night before her and-one delivered the win.<\/p>\n
The Storm victory ended Las Vegas\u2019 17-game winning streak, the second-longest in a single season in WNBA history. Now, not only have the Aces tasted defeat, but they face elimination in their next game. As they prepare for Thursday, they\u2019ll have to contend with a continuously evolving version of Malonga.<\/p>\n