Fever Coach Stephanie White Shoulders Blame for Costly Mistake in Last Play vs. Wings

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paolo Songco | Last updated Aug 13, 2025 12:13 AM ET

The Indiana Fever fell to 18-15 on Tuesday night following their heartbreaking loss to Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Fever fell short of what would have been an incredible fourth-quarter comeback as the Wings escaped with a hard-fought 81-80 victory to mark their first win in six games.

Fever's Comeback Comes Up Short Against Wings

Indiana came awfully close to winning this tightly contested matchup. After being down by as many as 17 points in the final frame, the Fever took possession with 11.3 seconds remaining down by just one point. Instead of immediately calling a timeout, Fever head coach Stephanie White let her team play on to try and score in transition.

Kelsey Mitchell, who had just scored a clutch basket in the previous possession, couldn’t find an open lane to the basket, though, and it prompted White to call her final timeout with just 1.7 seconds remaining.

It was a reset timeout, too, which meant that the Fever could not go into a huddle to discuss the play. Mitchell got the ball again for one final shot, which she ended up missing badly as she attempted a running fade-away jumper from the corner.

Shoutout jjq https://t.co/RC3X7sE0X2 pic.twitter.com/7WGHaDTjTN
— Shabazz (@ShowCaseShabazz) August 13, 2025

Stephanie White Admits to Costly Error

After the game, White was asked about the final play, including her decision to call a timeout with 1.7 seconds remaining on the game clock. The veteran shot-caller explained what was running through her mind at that point.

“We knew it was going to be a low clock when we got it out," White said during the postgame press conference. "We had been really good in transition and we were in the penalty. So I wanted us to outlet and attack in transition."

White also admitted her mistake in not calling for the timeout earlier in the possession.

"When it got to the point where we didn't attack and we just started dribbling sideways, I probably should have used it at the three-second mark instead of a little bit later,” she continued. “I thought Kels might have had a baseline drive. She ended up coming back to the middle, and so I didn't like that.

"But I did want us to push in transition with a low clock and limited opportunity."

For what it’s worth, White would not have been able to draw up a play even if she called for a timeout earlier than she did. Indiana had one reset timeout remaining, which only allowed them to inbound the ball from the sideline. Nevertheless, one could argue that Mitchell or somebody else may have gotten a better look if they had more time left during the final inbound play.

That’s all speculation at this point, though. Either way, it’s the Fever who are going home empty-handed after a hard-fought affair.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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