Last-place Indiana Fever suffer worst loss of season in 27-point defeat to Chicago

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indiana Fever fell to the Chicago Sky, 96-69, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in their penultimate home game of the season Tuesday night. The 27-point loss is Indiana's worst of the season.

The Fever (12-25) will travel to Connecticut for a game against the Sun on Friday, then close out the season at home against the Lynx.

Here are three observations from the Fever's loss:

Playing shorthanded

Indiana was without two of its part-time starters and defensive specialists Tuesday night: Lexie Hull, who is out with a shoulder injury, and Kristy Wallace, who injured her knee against Dallas on Sunday.

"It's just the next man up," forward Emma Cannon said. "I feel like all of our guards are capable of locking down and guarding somebody, but it's just the next man up mentality, staying positive and when their number is called, being able to go out there and do what they do."

Hull has been out for the Fever since Aug. 18, and Wallace was starting in her place. Both Wallace and Hull were the Fever's strongest defenders — when either of them were on the floor, they took the toughest defensive assignment.

And the Fever missed that on Tuesday.

"Both Kristy and Lexie drew the best offensive players on the opposing team, so they covered that piece," head coach Christie Sides said. "And then, Kristy Wallace has been such a great playmaker, she's been shooting the ball so well, so we just needed to have somebody that can come in and fill those shoes. But this is a sport, this is what we do. Injuries happen. You just have to have people ready to step up."

Sky guard Kahleah Copper seemingly had her way, finishing with 25 points on 69% shooting. But it wasn't just Copper scoring at will against the Fever on Tuesday; the Sky shot a staggering 49.4% from the field, and four total players were in double figures.

Taking care of the ball

Indiana could not take care of the ball against the Sky, as bad passes and stout defense from Chicago led to a bevy of turnovers. The Fever started out sloppy, turning the ball over eight times just in the first quarter — leading to seven early points from the Sky.

"We were deflated early," Sides said. "We had nine points in the first quarter, we couldn't get stops, we just struggled. We didn't get a good feel, and it really showed on both ends. That is not acceptable on the defensive end."

The Fever ended up turning the ball over 19 times, leading to 21 points for the Sky. In contrast, Chicago took care of the ball relatively well, with just eight turnovers.

Playing reserves

Indiana was eliminated from playoff contention Friday against Dallas. The Fever still played their starters for ample minutes in the rematch on Sunday, however, as rookie Aliyah Boston played 44 minutes and 42 seconds in the overtime victory and four starters played over 30 minutes.

But that performance tired them out.

"We was tired, we was exhausted," starting forward NaLyssa Smith said. "That's not an excuse for anything, but we was tired. Going into overtime the last game, our bodies just weighed on us, so we just have to find a better way to respond."

But with the exhaustion, it became the reserves' time to shine on the court.

Rookie Grace Berger recorded nearly 30 minutes Tuesday night, leading the minutes off the bench. She shot 1-of-6 from the field for two points, grabbed six rebounds, and dished out six assists. Emma Cannon led the scoring off the bench, recording 10 points and two rebounds.

"I really appreciated that group that went in at the end," Sides said. "They went on a 6-0 run, got three stops in a row. They were just really active and had no quit."

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: WNBA: Indiana Fever suffers worst loss of season to Chicago Sky