INDIANAPOLIS (WRTV) -- On Monday night in Washington, D.C., the Fever were already on the brink of losing their fourth one-possession game of the year. But with four seconds left and the Fever down one, Caitlin Clark nailed a game-winning 31-foot three-pointer to lift Indiana to victory.
The shot brought Indiana to a 78-76 win on Monday, but the team says there is still plenty of room to grow after a 6-5 start to the year.
"I think that we've got to get a little tougher," Fever center Aliyah Boston said. "I know it's early on, but we've got to get a little tougher. I think for us, just keeping the main thing the main thing, and that's focused on taking care of each possession, offensively and defensively."
The Fever blew a 14-point halftime lead and found themselves down by the final possession. Fever head coach Stephanie White would have liked to hold the lead, but she said the Fever can use Monday's game as another learning opportunity.
"I think every opportunity we have to grow throughout the course of the game and throughout the course of practice is really important," White said. "These are situations that are going to pay dividends for us down the line. Being able to reframe and being able to stay together and come back together, I think, is an important lesson for our group."
As Indiana continues through the regular season, White shared how valuable it will be to lean on the team's experience after playing in several tight games already.
"We've played from behind a lot before, and now we've got to learn to play with the lead," White said. "That's a different type of pressure. It's a different type of urgency that you need to have. I say it a lot, and it's true; it's not just coach speak. There's no substitute for experience. Each time we get an opportunity to experience it and then to come out on the winning side of it is important."
After Monday's nail-biting finish, Indiana now looks ahead to a home game against the Chicago Sky on Thursday. Coach White gave her keys ahead of Thursday's game.
"We've got to contain their guards," White said. "They have two great point guards in our league. Certainly, when you think about [Natasha] Cloud and Sky [Skyler Diggins] and their experience, championship-caliber players. We've got to contain them, and we've got to make sure we do a really good job of protecting our paint. When we do that, it allows us to do what we do best, and that's get out in transition, play fast."
The Fever (6-5) host the Sky (4-8) on Thursday at 7:00 p.m.
