Indiana Fever forward Sophie Cunningham believes the team’s five-game winning streak shows that they are now “trusting each other” on the court.
The Fever held off a late fightback from the Seattle Storm to claim a 78-74 victory, helping them reach their joint-longest winning streak since August 2015.
The franchise also won five consecutive games in August and September 2024, but this time have managed to achieve the feat without star player Caitlin Clark. The guard has missed the last seven games with a groin injury.
Cunningham, who is playing her seventh season in the WNBA, previously stated she felt it was her responsibility as a veteran in the side to help the team grow together.
The 28-year-old contributed a season-high 17 points during the win, making four of her five attempts from beyond the arc, and feels the team are now clicking on the court.
“I also think it shows the growth that we've had as a team because, early in the season, we were just so inconsistent, and if teams were to do that, we would normally lose those games,” said Cunningham.
“Just shows that we're getting closer, we're trusting each other - I think that the biggest part is trusting and knowing that we can win those games even if they go on runs.”
The Fever were up by 12 points halfway through the final quarter, but the Storm threatened to overturn that margin with an unanswered 11-point run with under three minutes left in the game.
Head coach Stephanie White revealed her pride after the Fever managed to see the win through in testing circumstances.
“I was proud of our group for how we stayed - not just together, because we always stay together - but how we stayed even, and we came down, and we went to the next play,” said White.
“We made some big plays in key moments that allowed us to win the ballgame.
“My stomach was doing flips there. I felt like they did a really good job of executing. We didn't do quite as good a job of anticipating action and communicating screens. You know, we were fortunate that they didn't fall.”
