The Indiana Fever vs. the Las Vegas Aces series entertained fans with high-end offensive and defensive gameplay from both teams. More importantly, the Fever were shorthanded with five players out due to injuries, and in Game 5, Kelsey Mitchell also left the match. Still, Sophie Cunningham believed that the Indiana team would have won the decider if there had been fair officiating.
Interestingly, Cunningham supported the officiating in Game 4 when the Fever survived the elimination with a victory at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse Arena, and now in Game 5, she claimed that officiating cost them the series.
Sophie Cunningham Blasts At Referee Decisions
Odyssey Sims and Alyah Boston pushed the Las Vegas Aces to the limit after Kelsey Mitchell’s exit in the third quarter. With the offensive guard out of the rotation, many thought the game would be over, but the resilient Fever forced overtime with clutch plays once again in the fourth quarter.
It is when the game got interesting and the 29-year-old forward believed that the Fever were in command. During her ‘Show Me Something’ podcast, she analyzed the reasons for loss and blamed referees.
“Honestly, it’s so crazy because I think if the whistle would have gone just a couple more plays our way, we would be in the Finals,” she said on the podcast.
But the game-changer for the former Baylor star was the exit of Aliyah Boston. AB was an instrumental player for Stephanie White’s team throughout the playoffs. After Mitchell’s exit, she was the only Fever star on the floor capable of turning the game around with the help of her teammates.
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“That was brutal, and two or three of her fouls were just [expletive]. And my thing is too, you’ve got to know who’s in the game. Awful, awful, awful. And like people come to watch these players. She’s an All-Star; you don’t foul out an All-Star in the Finals. That’s where it just gets me. You don’t do that,” Cunningham added.
The Aces took over overtime and outscored the Indiana team by a 21-12 score to win the game by 107-98.
Sophie Cunningham Hyped Up Indiana Fever Season
After the exit from the 2025 postseason, the 29-year-old was not down but pumped up with the efforts her team put up throughout the season. Sharing a picture from the locker room, the forward fired a warning to the league opponents, saying ‘You better believe we are coming for EVERYBODY next season.
us. can’t make this season up! so much to be proud of. you better believe we are coming for EVERYBODY next season. pic.twitter.com/P2QuSdZZLV
— Sophie Cunningham (@sophaller) October 1, 2025
The versatile player was on the sidelines for every Fever game, giving her input and supporting the team on every play. Cunningham was seen giving a pep talk to Lexie Hull and even standing up to physical plays.
While Caitlin Clark wants the star to return to the Indiana Fever in the 2026 season, it will be interesting to watch the unrestricted free agent’s choice in the offseason.