The Indiana Fever headed into Tuesday's Commissioner's Cup championship game against the Minnesota Lynx as considerable underdogs. They were placed at an even bigger disadvantage after Caitlin Clark was ruled out of the big game due to a lingering groin injury.
True enough, the Lynx asserted their dominance early on. The defending champs came firing out of the gates, which resulted in Minnesota taking a 20-12 lead after the first quarter.
Indiana stood strong, though, and they clawed their way back in the second frame. The Fever eventually took their first lead of the game with a little over two minutes remaining in the half, courtesy of a Sophie Cunningham corner triple.
The WNBA just had to react to the Fever guard's big shot.
"CUNNINGHAM CONNECTS First lead for the @IndianaFever!" the league posted on X.
CUNNINGHAM CONNECTS
— WNBA (@WNBA) July 2, 2025
First lead for the @IndianaFever!
Prime | WNBA Commissioner's Cup presented by @coinbase pic.twitter.com/tQIS3wbxfw
It was a momentum-swinging play for Cunningham, who provided some quality minutes off the bench for Indiana in the opening half. The 6-foot-1 guard registered six points on two triples and three rebounds in 13 minutes of action.
Behind Cunningham's strong play, the Fever were able to take a 32-27 lead into the break after closing the half with a blistering 18-0 run.
Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell led all scorers in the opening half with eight points.
Indiana still has a long way to go in this one, but they exhibited their resilience by battling back in the first half, giving the Lynx a run for their money in this title game.
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