UNCASVILLE — Connecticut Sun coach Rachid Meziane has had a single goal in mind after every game his team has won this season: Win the next one.
The Sun are putting the pieces together more consistently — and for longer in-game stretches — than at any other point this year with three of their six wins coming in the last three weeks, but Connecticut is the only team in the league that has yet to string two successful performances together. The Sun have given up 100-plus points three times in matchups immediately following wins, and their closest game after a win was an 87-78 loss in a back-to-back matchup with the New York Liberty.
Connecticut is coming off of a high-energy 71-62 victory over the Chicago Sky at home on Wednesday, and it has perhaps its best opportunity of the season to win consecutive matchups when it hosts the Indiana Fever on Sunday afternoon at Mohegan Sun Arena — especially with six of 12 remaining games against the top four squads in the league. Indiana enters the matchup having lost four of its last five including the past two to teams currently outside the WNBA Playoff picture.
“It’s something we have to retain, to show up next time with the same fighting spirit,” Meziane said after the Chicago win. “(When we) fight for each other, it means that we are growing. Maybe we are not perfect … but it is just about growing and fighting for each other, and playing with some pride, too. How we responded, I think it’s some good momentum for us.”
The Sun have already met the Fever three times, and they earned earned their first win of the season in Indianapolis on May 30 shortly after superstar guard Caitlin Clark was initially sidelined by a quad injury. Clark was available for the next two matchups, both of which were losses for Connecticut, but the Sun kept it close when the teams played at TD Garden in Boston on July 15 holding Clark for 14 points on 4-for-14 shooting in the 85-77 loss. It was late in that Boston game that the Indiana phenom aggravated a groin injury first suffered in late June, and she is expected to miss her 13th straight game when the Fever face the Sun.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JULY 15: Leila Lacan #47 of the Connecticut Sun defends against Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever during the second half at the TD Garden on July 15, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images)
Connecticut is undeniably less talented than Indiana, who will still start three multi-time All-Stars in guard Kelsey Mitchell, forward Natasha Howard and center Aliyah Boston. But most of the intangible factors fall in the Sun’s favor for Sunday’s meeting. The Fever got a single day of rest after losing to the Washington Mystics on Friday night, while the Sun haven’t played since Wednesday’s win. Connecticut has a clean injury report, while Indiana just lost key role players Aari McDonald and Sydney Colson to season-ending injuries. The Fever currently have three players who joined the team on seven-day contracts including two who have been on the roster for less than a week.
“We have to just keep locking in on the defensive schemes, and offensively what we need to do is just keep sharing the ball and being very selfless,” Sun veteran Tina Charles said. “That’s what will get us two in the row. The energy has been great, again because we’re sharing the ball and everybody’s involved and everybody’s cheering each other on.”
The Sun are also a different team from the one Indiana beat a month ago, most notably thanks to the return of star guard Marina Mabrey. Mabrey missed nine games before the All-Star break with a knee injury including both losses to the Fever, and though her efficiency has struggled since returning, just having her on the court makes a huge difference in how defenses match up against the Sun. The veteran is averaging 13 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists since the All-Star break, and after going 0-for-10 from 3-point range over the last two games, she’s due for a big night offensively.
The continued development of Connecticut’s young core will also play a major factor in the team’s success. French rookie Leila Lacan had a breakout game against Indiana in Boston with 19 points and three steals, and fellow rookies Saniya Rivers and Aneesah Morrow played key roles in that matchup with Rivers spending much of the game guarding Clark and Morrow bringing down 12 rebounds to lead the team. The Sun also added a new weapon in former UConn star Aaliyah Edwards, who has been with the team barely a week since she was traded from the Washington Mystics.
“Basketball is fun when everyone gets involved, when we’re all doing the right things,” Charles said. “Having a great group of rookies who are just starting their career and looking for what they can do individually to have that individual impact, it’s always just great energy … What our record reflects, they could be coming in moping and pouting, but they just have great energy and great potential.”
How to watch Connecticut Sun vs Indiana Fever
Site: Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville
Time/date: 1 p.m., Sunday
Team records: Sun 6-26, Fever 18-16
Last meeting: 88-71 Fever, June 17 in Indianapolis
TV: NBA TV, NBC Sports Boston
Streaming: WNBA LeaguePass
Originally Published: August 16, 2025 at 3:58 PM EDT