Stephanie White Sends Strong Message to Indiana Fever After 'Ugly' Win

WNBA fans were treated to quite a spectacle on Friday night as the Indiana Fever secured a tightly contested 76-75 win over the Los Angeles Sparks.

It was far from a stellar performance for Indiana, which shot just 40.7% from the floor. Kelsey Mitchell struggled from the field, shooting just 5-of-14 for 12 points.

It was Aliyah Boston who stepped it up for the Fever with a game-high 22 points on 11-of-18 shooting, while mid-season recruit Odyssey Sims also went off for 21 points and six rebounds.

The Fever inched closer to clinching a playoff spot after Friday’s win, as they improved to 21-18 on the season. Indiana remains sixth in the league with five games remaining on its schedule.

Fever Coach Stephanie White Reacts to ‘Ugly’ Win

Indiana head coach Stephanie White was fired up after Friday’s huge win, which saw the Fever increase their lead over the ninth-placed Sparks in the standings to three games.

White delivered a passionate postgame speech in the locker room shortly after the final buzzer.

"I'm really proud of you guys," White said. "That was an ugly, hard-fought win.

"Listen, we know that we didn't play our best basketball. And in those moments where we needed as stop or we needed a big [expletive] bucket. That [expletive] you don't teach. And y'all got it."