The Indiana Fever got a reality check in Game 2 of their WNBA semifinal series. Not too late after their morale-boosting Game 1 victory, Stephanie White’s Indiana fell 90-68 to the Las Vegas Aces.
Earlier, when White defended Aliyah Boston’s low-scoring output, little did she know that it would only hamper the team’s chances of striking out. And just like that, the side went lopsided in the next game, prompting the head coach to give honest credits to the Aces.
Stephanie White Addressed Fever Failing Before Aces In Game 2
After a stunning Game 1 upset, the Fever crumbled under the Aces’ physicality, and head coach Stephanie White didn’t mince words postgame. She called out her team’s passive play and took a sharp jab at the officiating, which she felt disrupted their flow with excessive foul calls.
With the series shifting to Indianapolis for Games 3 and 4, White’s blunt critique sets the stage for a must-win home stand. However, the Illinois-born coach laid into her team’s lackluster effort after the Aces ran them off the court in Game 2.
“We didn’t throw any punches. The reality is they came in, they were physical, they dictated, and we were on our heels. We were passive. We were reactive to everything. … They’re too good. We can’t spot them 42 (points). We’ve got to be able to handle that,” she said.
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“They’ve been world champions for a reason. They have a mentality that they know exactly how to compete at this stage and at this level. We’ve got to be able to respond, and we’ve got to be able to rise to that challenge,” White added.
The Fever, who shot 50% and owned the paint in their 89-73 Game 1 win, managed just 39% from the field and 25 points in the paint as the Aces outscored them in every quarter. White called their play “passive,” noting they settled for jumpers, held the ball too long, and lacked clock awareness.
Stephanie White Lashes Out At Refs After Loss
While the Fever had no answer to Las Vegas’ dominance, there was more to the misery than just a loose play from Indiana players. White also pointed fingers at the refs while blaming an overly whistle-heavy game for killing Indiana’s rhythm. Though White earlier revealed a shocking take on Fever’s most important opponent, Aces seemed to have expelled that.
“Well, it’s hard for us to find flow when there is a foul call every 10 seconds. I mean, it just really is. And when they’re at the free throw line, we can’t get up and down the floor. And that’s a challenge,” the coach said.
However, this isn’t White’s first ref rant; she’s been fined before, like after a May no-call on Clark against the Liberty, when she called the officiating “egregious” and “unbelievable.”