Fever Win Game 2 in OT; Eliminate Mystics

Sep 20, 2013; Rosemont, IL, USA; Indiana Fever guard Shavonte Zellous (1) reacts after making a three point basket against the Chicago Sky during the fourth quarter of the first round of the WNBA playoffs at Allstate Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

The Indiana Fever took care of business on the road against the Washington Mystics to win the series 2-0, and won last night by a final score of 81-76. It was a close game all the way through, but the Fever made more winnings plays in overtime to finish the Mystics’ season. Indiana will now move on to face the winner of the Chicago Sky and Atlanta Dream series, with Chicago currently leading the series 1-0.

Tamika Catchings once again came up with a huge game to power the Fever in the playoffs, and she showed excellent leadership skills late in the game and in overtime. She scored 26 points to go along with 11 rebounds and four assists. Catchings hit 8-16 from the floor overall, and also made 9-10 free throws. Briann January had another nice game for the Fever as well, scoring 13 points, while also dishing out seven assists. Marissa Coleman and Karima Christmas were the other two double digit scorers for the Fever with 10 points apiece.

Kara Lawson came off of the Mystics’ bench to lead them in scoring, putting up 20 points, six rebounds, and four assists. She shot 7-12 from the floor, including 4-7 from behind the three-point arc. Tianna Hawkins and Ivory Latta were the only other double figure scorers for the Mystics last night with 13 and 12 respectively. Needless to say, this was a very disappointing letdown performance at home for Washington.

Indiana didn’t play very good basketball until the midway point of the regular season, but they have caught fire at the right time. They have a championship winning roster and coaching staff, and they firmly believe that they can win the Eastern Conference. Having a leader on the floor like Catchings is always a major advantage that Indiana has over most other teams.

Overall, it will be very interesting to see who the Fever end up having to play next. The Sky and Dream will play in Chicago tonight in what could potentially be a closeout game. If Atlanta is unable to come up with a clutch win on the road, it will set up a midwest Eastern Conference Finals between the Fever and Sky. Either way, this type of play is very encouraging to see for the state of Indiana and Fever fans.