Sophie

Cunningham

Cunningham sprained her right ankle during Friday’s loss to the Sun, the second time she’s done so since joining the Fever during the offseason. How long she’ll be out has not been determined, but the reserve guard will miss at least one game. The good news for Indiana is that Sydney Colson is not on the injury report after injuring her leg during Friday’s defeat. She and Lexie Hull have added importance for a team that is also without Caitlin Clark.

Friday night was rough for the Fever, and that doesn’t even bring the 85-83 defeat into the equation. Already playing without Caitlin Clark (quad), Indiana lost Cunningham and Sydney Colson (leg) to injuries. Cunningham injured her right ankle during the fourth quarter and required assistance back to the locker room. Also, this was the same ankle she injured during the preseason, ultimately missing Indiana’s first two regular-season games. The Fever don’t play again until June 3, but they may be down three rotation guards for that day’s matchup with the Mystics.

Colson was injured during the first half of Friday’s game when Connecticut’s Jacy Sheldon fell into the back of her left leg. The veteran guard’s absence leaves the Fever without the top two point guards on their depth chart, as Caitlin Clark (quad) is out for at least two weeks. Sophie Cunningham has replaced Colson in the lineup to begin the third quarter; she and Kelsey Mitchell will handle the playmaking responsibilities.

With Caitlin Clark (quad) out for at least two weeks, the Fever have a significant hole to fill in its starting lineup. As head coach Stephanie White announced on Tuesday, Colson will fill the void, and Sophie Cunningham should see increased playing time off the bench. Indiana can also put the basketball in Kelsey Mitchell’s hands more, whether Colson is on the court or not.

Cunningham was in the rotation on Thursday after missing two games with a sprained ankle, and she provided solid contributions off the bench. The former Mercury guard finished one steal shy of a complete stat line and shot 2-of-4 from beyond the arc. With Lexie Hull (10 points, four assists, two steals and two three-pointers) also playing well, Fever coach Stephanie White was able to trim starter Kelsey Mitchell’s workload. After playing 33 minutes in Tuesday’s loss to Atlanta, Mitchell played 28 on Thursday. The Fever head home to host the champion Liberty on Saturday.

Having missed Indiana’s first two games with a sprained ankle, Cunningham is available to make her official Fever debut. The veteran wing will give Indiana additional depth off the bench, joining Lexie Hull as reserves who will play consistent minutes. Hull’s playing time may decrease, but only slightly.

After spraining her right ankle during Indiana’s preseason finale, Cunningham has missed the first two games of the regular season. Her absence has left the Fever down a rotation player on the wing, with fellow reserve Lexie Hull’s playing time increasing. That will likely remain the case if Cunningham cannot play on Thursday in Atlanta.

With Cunningham attending Tuesday’s pregame shootaround, there was hope that she would be able to make her official Fever debut. Unfortunately, that is not the case, with the Fever declaring the guard out for Tuesday’s game. Lexie Hull will once again play most of the reserve wing minutes as Indiana looks to move to 2-0.

Still questionable for Tuesday’s game against the Dream, Cunningham participated in the pregame shootaround. That bodes well for her availability after sitting out Saturday’s season-opening win over the Sky. Cunningham provides the Fever with additional depth on the wing, supplementing fellow reserve Lexie Hull.