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Fever Head Coach Details Dream's Physicality as Reason for Loss

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Reign Amurao | Last updated Jun 11, 2025 2:29 AM ET

The Atlanta Dream had one of their games of the 2025 WNBA season on Tuesday against the Indiana Fever. The Dream had a 77-58 game, their first win in the Commissioner's Cup. Thanks to the heroics of All-Star guard Allisha Gray, who had 23 points to lead Atlanta.

Additionally, the Fever missed Caitlin Clark for the fifth straight game due to a quad injury. Clark has been out of the lineup for more than two weeks. Before the contest, head coach Stephanie White told the media that the star guard is on the "ramp-up stage."

Without their star player, the Fever are exploring options to add more wins to their record.

Following the game, White talked to reporters about what went wrong with the Fever. According to her, it was the Dream's physicality that did a lot of damage to her squad.

"I think they hit us in the mouth," White said. "Their physicality on the defensive end really affected us. It took us out of what we wanted to do, and forced us to rush offensively."

"Our ability to match that physicality on the defensive end, our positioning, our connectedness, I thought wasn't there. And they took advantage of it."

In the third quarter, the Fever was outworked by the Dream, 23-9. In the same period, Atlanta controlled the boards with 13 rebounds, while Indiana only had seven. Brionna Jones was unstoppable inside with her five rebounds after halftime. Jones finished the game with 21 points and 10 rebounds.

The next time (which will also be the final time), the two teams will face each other on July 11, and the Dream will try to end their regular season series on top. They hold a commanding 2-1 lead.

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

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