Fever 99, Sun 93 (OT): Complete collapse, especially on defense

There will be growing pains, of course, and we’re still hurting from a lot of them watching the Connecticut Sun this season, but no matter how young and raw your team is, you shouldn’t blow a 21-point second half as the Sun did in a 99-93 overtime loss Sunday afternoon.

And you certainly shouldn’t lose to an injury-riddled Indiana team without its best player and three other rotation players.

But Connecticut did, of course, and what was most disappointing about it, even going forward, was the complete collapse at the defensive end. Two minutes into the second half, the Fever had 31 points and finished with 99. You can do the math, but it ain’t good. Indiana had just four turnovers in that span, and seemingly at least a dozen layups before Kelsey Mitchell took matters into her own hands late in the fourth quarter and overtime.

You don’t get to the bottom of the defensive efficiency ratings by accident, and even with Leila Lacan and Saniya Rivers on the floor, the Sun seemed to have no idea what to do about their pick-and-roll rotations off the ball, and therefore couldn’t stop fouling, either (yes, they lead the league in that, too.)

If the Sun’s identity is to force turnovers (and I think it should be), it will come with some fouling, but “some” is a very relative term and you can’t just concede the paint. Olivia Nelson-Ododa has had her struggles, but if she’s only going to get 15 minutes in a game like this (and Aaliyah Edwards just 11), I’m not sure what we’re doing for the Sun’s future.

It’s been a good couple of weeks for Rachid Meziane and his staff, but this was not their finest hour: There were no adjustments made in the fourth quarter as Stephanie White made plenty, and the lack of rotations in ballscreen defense has been subpar (to be generous) almost all season. Some of that is personnel, Marina Mabrey and Bria Hartley are generally not quick defenders and Tina Charles is 36, but you’ve heard the one about the person who makes the same mistake over and over, right?  

What else did we learn Sunday in a game the Fever needed badly, but might have lost Sophie Cunningham with a knee injury?:

 

1. Kelsey Mitchell with a ridiculous performance  - Mitchell was 0-for-7 in the first half from the field with Lacan seeming to get the best of her at every turn, but she got going by getting to the rim (she shot 12 free throws overall), and the rest is history (38 points). A couple of the shots she made in overtime were unguardable, but with her and Odyssey Sims both loving to go left, there wasn’t enough resistance to force her (or Sims) right, and when help came, there was no (as there hasn’t been all season) rotations to make the Fever find the open person, just really odd from a team that forces so many turnovers, and doesn’t reflect well on the coaching staff. 

2. Leila Lacan has a statistical game for the ages, too - Lacan’s 14 assists were the second most in Sun history (Alyssa Thomas has the rest of the top five), and even more impressively did it without a single turnover, only the second in league history to do that after someone named Jennifer Rizzotti in 2002. She is now the youngest player in league history to have 10+ assists and no turnovers in a game, replacing Sue Bird, also in 2002. She also added three steals and hit a big three-pointer to end the third quarter, but it wasn’t enough.

3. Mabrey and Charles were better, but… -  It’s hard to be negative about either, Mabrey had 27 points and five assists, while Charles added 21 points, but Mabrey was -16 and Charles -12 for the contest, and - while I know she has flaws - Olivia Nelson-Ododa was a +6 and hit her only shot from the field. To be fair, when Mabrey or Charles is off the court, the Sun’s half-court offense can be quite ugly, but if the opponent is scoring every time down the floor, maybe try something else? To be fair, Nelson-Ododa was on the floor at the end of regulation and fouled Mitchell to allow the Fever to tie the game, but that was a rotation issue as well.

Player of the game:  Leila Lacan - We went over most of her stat line, she was pressured a lot by Lexie Hull (who is a tremendous defender) and seemed to struggle with that, and no one could stop Mitchell in the second half, including Lacan. But she did just turn 21, so we’ll cut her a little slack.

Inside the numbers : 14 -  Number of offensive rebounds for Indiana in the contest, another statistical category that the Sun struggle with that seems fairly easily fixed with better awareness and hustle. Those offensive rebounds early in the third quarter didn’t seem like much, but every one was important in the end. 

Under the radar: It was a little strange that Stephanie White didn’t start Lexie Hull, but it did seem to fire her up when she did come in, she finished with eight points and seven rebounds, and was a force on the defensive end as she always is. Odyssey Sims has seemed to be with every team (including the Sun), but also had a big second half.

Bria Hartley had another tough game, and it was another one that she seemed to let her frustration get the best of her, she scored just four points in 23 minutes and took just one three-pointer. Only eight Sun players appeared in the game, meaning Lindsay Allen and Migna Toure never got in, a change from how Meziane has run things, especially with a busy schedule coming up.

Quotable:  “Our first three or four offensive possessions in the second half weren't what we wanted and I think because we were up 19 points, we relaxed. Instead of killing them off, we allowed them to come back and they have good players.” - Rachid Meziane

Next up: Tuesday at Washington, 7:30 p.m. EDT