Indiana Fever’s Sophie Cunningham has voiced her concerns about the team’s recent performance, urging her teammates to embrace a tougher mentality. The Fever, currently holding a 4-4 record, have faced back-to-back losses on the West Coast, which included a notable sideline altercation between player Caitlin Clark and head coach Stephanie White.

Team Dynamics and Challenges

Cunningham emphasized the need for players to understand and own their roles, stating, “We have all the pieces we need to win, but it’s knowing your role, owning your role, and also just being tough. We’re just too soft right now, and that’s not what our identity is, so we need to get away from that.”

The incident between Clark and White, which was caught on TV during a 100-84 loss to the Portland Fire, has been described by All-Star guard Kelsey Mitchell as part of the dynamics of being a family. “If you think everything is glitz and glamour, then you’re mistaken,” Mitchell said, highlighting the importance of overcoming hard times to grow stronger as a team.

Moving Forward

In response to the recent challenges, the team held a lengthy meeting to address their issues and rebuild team cohesion. Cunningham noted, “We had a team meeting — a long meeting — and so hopefully we’ve kind of turned the page.” While specifics of the meeting were not disclosed, it was seen as a necessary step to move past the recent struggles.

The Fever’s offensive performance has been strong, leading the league with an average of 91.8 points per game. However, their defense has been lacking, allowing 89 points per game, the second-most in the WNBA. In an effort to focus on improvement, the team chose not to review footage from their loss to Portland, opting instead to look forward to their upcoming game against the Atlanta Dream.

The Fever will aim to regain their footing when they face Angel Reese’s Atlanta Dream on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET.

Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.