Fever defeat Dream to even series, 77-60

The Dream shot just 37.9% from the floor and went 5-of-19 from beyond the arc. They were outscored 8-2 in second-chance points, turned the ball over 16 times that led to 19 Indiana points and lost the battle on the glass 37-27. Most telling, the Fever dominated the defensive boards 32-22, an area that Indiana entered the series sitting at the bottom of post WNBA All-Star break and finishing 11th overall in the regular season.

It was the seventh time this year, including the regular season, that the Dream finished with five or fewer 3-pointers in a game. The last came on Aug. 27 in a home loss to the Las Vegas Aces, when the Dream managed only four.

However, despite the breakdowns, Dream coach Karl Smesko said he expects his team to regroup before the pivotal Game 3 clash at home.

“They (Fever) were aggressive defensively,” Smesko said postgame. “They were super physical. We’re going to have to really work to create good shots. …We’re going to have to move the ball side to side. … set good screens. Cuts are going to have to be great. When a team is playing that physical, sometimes you have a tendency to slow down. I think that plays into their physicality. So, we’re going to have to be better offensively. … We’re going to have to shoot it better, but we got a lot of really talented offensive players. … I think we’re going to get it going next game.”

For Indiana, the win marked a long-awaited milestone. The Fever snapped a playoff drought dating back to Oct. 11, 2015, and marked their first postseason triumph since Catchings was a rookie in 2002, when they last controlled a playoff game from start to finish.

Turning point in the Dream’s loss

The Dream entered the fourth quarter hoping to rally, but Indiana quickly ended any chance of a comeback. The Fever stretched a 7-0 run into a 15-0 burst, capped by an Odyssey Sims 3-pointer that pushed the lead to 67-44. Indiana built its advantage to as many as 24 points.

With 6:09 remaining, Smesko pulled Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray, signaling the game was out of reach. Te-Hina Paopao provided a spark off the bench with 11 points, but the game was already out of reach as the Fever closed the victory. The Fever limited the Dream to their second-lowest scoring total of the season, including regular-season play.

“They made some key plays defensively to get out in transition and get some easy looks there at the end of the third,” Dream forward Brionna Jones said postgame. “Then just coming into the fourth, we have to be better defensively, getting stops and executing our defensive plan the way we want to. …They came out and they were aggressive, and we needed to match that better tonight.”

Both teams traded baskets early in the third quarter, but Indiana maintained a five-point edge. The Dream cut the deficit to three when Howard found Naz Hillmon for a layup midway through the frame. But momentum shifted quickly. Aliyah Boston drilled a 3-pointer from the top of the key, and Kelsey Mitchell followed as the Fever ripped off a 7-0 run to go up 47-37, forcing Smesko to call timeout.

Indiana’s surge continued, as Boston muscled in a basket inside, and Shey Peddy turned a Hillmon turnover into an assist on a 3-pointer from Lexie Hull on the left wing that brought fans to their feet. The Fever closed the quarter firmly in control with a 62-44 lead.

Key players in the Dream’s loss

Paopao finished with 11 points off the bench while Howard added 10 on 3-of-9 shots as the Dream’s only double-digit scorers. Allisha Gray finished with nine points on 4-of-16 shots from the field while Jones and Hillmon finished with 8 a piece in the loss.

Paopao led the team with 11 points off the bench, while Howard added 10 on 3-of-9 shooting as the Dream’s only players to score in double figures. Allisha Gray finished with nine points on 4-of-16 shooting, and Jones and Hillmon each added eight in the loss.

What’s next for the Dream?

The Dream will return to action at 7:30 p.m. ET Thursday when they host a deciding Game 3 at Gateway Center Arena.