Fever's Sophie Cunningham Stamps Breakthrough Effort with 4-Word Quip

It was a major boost off the bench for Indiana and a much-needed breakthrough for Cunningham. Despite enjoying a sharp rise in popularity during her first season in Indiana, the 28-year-old hasn't been satisfied with her in-game production.

Friday's double-double provided plenty to be proud of, although she opted for a more self-deprecating approach,

"It's about dang time," cracked Cunningham, talking postgame with the WNBA on ION crew. "Shoot, it's been a second. For me, it finally felt good."

Her impact was notably felt beyond the arc. After converting on 4-of-21 three-point attempts in her previous seven games, a lowly 19.0 3P%, Cunningham connected on a season-best 4 three-pointers against Atlanta, missing just one of her five attempts.

Cunningham's success from deep was made all the more important by another rough shooting performance from star guard Caitlin Clark, whose slump persisted with a 1-for-7 night from distance.

Friday's win marked Clark's second game back from a left groin injury, and while the offense fared much better overall, it's been a struggle to get the young phenom into a rhythm from beyond the arc.

"Our team kinda got into a groove, honestly, when 'Cait' got hurt and we were playing good offense, good defense," Cunningham told reporters postgame. "But we're a whole different team when she is in. So we have to learn how to adjust, how to get her involved, how to keep people who are hot, hot".

Cunningham punctuated her final sentence by pointing to her right, in the direction of guard Kelsey Mitchell.

Mitchell paced Indiana with 25 points, en route to their second-best offensive output this season.

"I think that our team has enough offensive threats that we should have five to six people in double figures every single night, when we move the ball," Cunningham added. "When the ball's popping, we're a really hard team to guard."

The ball was indeed popping on Friday.

The Fever doled out a season-high 27 assists, headed by 9 from Clark. Mitchell and Cunningham were two of four players to reach double figures, joined by Clark (12) and Aliyah Boston (19).

There's merit to Cunningham's appraisal. Indiana has four players averaging 10 points or more -- Mitchell, Clark, Boston, and Natasha Howard. Aari McDonald (9.4 PPG) and Lexie Hull (8.2 PPG) aren't far behind either.

It's been a slower start for Cunningham, who hasn't figured into the scoring picture as much as she'd like. That should come as a surprise given her track record.

Last season, Cunningham reached double figures in 15 of 40 games with the Phoenix Mercury. As the Fever approach the halfway point of this year's 44-game season, Cunningham has reached double figures just three times.

Friday's effort was more reminiscent of the player Fever fans anticipated after an offseason trade brought Cunningham to Indiana. Not to mention, her combination of hustle and productivity was a welcome sight after head coach Stephanie White criticized the team's lack of competitive fire just one game prior.

To Cunningham's credit, intensity is something she's brought to the table all season long.

"The things that we can control is our effort, our intensity, boxing out, defensive scouts," Cunningham emphasized. "That's what we gotta hang our hat on."

Even after her 16-point outburst, Cunningham is averaging 5.8 PPG, a noteworthy dropoff from the 10.5 PPG she averaged across her last three seasons with the Mercury. The Fever and Cunningham are hoping her double-double is the catalyst for more consistent production, both for herself and the offense as a whole.