The Indiana Fever forced game 5 with a win over the Las Vegas Aces. Fever fans were excited for the game, and so were the team members on the sidelines. Sophie Cunningham, who went viral for her pep talk to Lexie Hull during the playoffs, was out on social media again to hype up the win.
As she reposted ESPN’s “Indiana Fever Ain’t Done Yet” post and lauded her team for the victory, she came across a few negative comments on the Fever victory. The star decided to clear the air once and for all.
Sophie Cunningham Shows Support For Referees’ Decisions
The Indiana Fever leveled the series against the Aces, winning Game 4 at home. Every player chipped in with a valuable contribution to overcome the Aces’ challenge. Though the win feels like a ‘championship won’ for the Fever, a few fans claimed that the hosts got the advantage of the referees’ decisions.
Responding to a fan who claimed referees’ support for the Fever team, the injured forward wrote, “And it’s about damn time. I honestly thought the refs did a nice job today on both sides!”
And it’s about damn time. I honestly thought the refs did a nice job today on both sides! https://t.co/FCgfvJ85PI
— Sophie Cunningham (@sophaller) September 28, 2025
Interestingly, Cunningham was among many players who blasted officiating throughout the season. A few days back, Cunningham voiced frustration with WNBA refereeing amid the Indiana Fever’s playoff struggles.
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In Game 4, the referees called 24 fouls on the Aces while whistling 17 times against the hosts. Importantly, the Fever team shot better (76.5%) from the free-throw line than the Aces (72.7%) in Game 4. The Fever team is still in the hunt for the franchise’s second WNBA Championship, and looking at their ‘fight-back’, it certainly feels like a Cinderella story.
Sophie Cunningham Calls Indiana Fever Cinderella Team
Although many WNBA sides went through some amount of adversity in the 2025 season, Stephanie White’s side was the worst-hit side. They lost their five players, including three starters, to season-ending injuries. Still, behind their depth and resilience, the Fever team reached Game 5 of the WNBA semifinals. Reflecting on the same, the 29-year-old forward called the side ‘Cinderella team’.
“I think that we are literally the Cinderella team right now. If you are thinking about with all of our adversity and everything we’ve been through, like we’ve seen it all. And now we just have to go perform because like we deserve to be here and like if everyone’s healthy, we 100 percent deserve to be here,” Cunningham said on her podcast.
While the side forced Game 5 in the semifinal, they will have to up their game to defeat the Aces at Michelob ULTRA Arena on September 30.