Kelsey Mitchell was fired up after the Fever suffered an unfortunate setback.
Indiana Fever Star Had Words After Sophie Cunningham's Injury on Sunday originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Indiana Fever beat the Connecticut Sun 99-93 in overtime on Sunday, but Indiana guard Sophie Cunningham left the game with a right knee injury and did not return.
Already playing without point guards Caitlin Clark, Aari McDonald and Sydney Colson, the blow to Cunningham continued a brutal trend of injuries in the Indiana backcourt during the 2025 WNBA season.
All-Star guard Kelsey Mitchell took over for the Fever, tying her career high with 38 points — including 34 after halftime, 10 of which in overtime. Mitchell's heroics helped erase a 21-point deficit, the largest comeback win in franchise history.
After the game, Mitchell opened up about the feeling of seeing Cunningham go down. She said it was like "deja vu," but it also served as motivation for the Fever star.
Indiana Fever Playing for Each Other Amid Injuries
"Seeing Soph go down, it fuels you if you care about your team and you care about the people in your locker room," Mitchell said in a postgame media conference.
"I can’t even explain it to y’all," added the eighth-year WNBA veteran, full of emotion. "You just really got to care about the people that you play with. It just fuels who we are as people, and y’all get to see it as a team for us.”
Scary scene: Sophie Cunningham down and grabbing her right knee.
— TMSPN.com (@sportsgossip) August 17, 2025
She will not return. pic.twitter.com/iy5qEWQhAB
Cunningham is averaging 8.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.8 made three-pointers prior to Sunday's game.
Her attitude aligns with Mitchell's words, too. Cunningham has been open about the responsibility she felt to stand up for Clark when the Fever and Sun met earlier in the season.
Head coach Stephanie White also spoke about the team's resiliency after losing another player to injury.
"They got something inside of them that you just can't teach," White said. "They bring it out of each other. It allows us to go through these incredibly tough times we're going through."
"I'm so proud of you [...] We will never be counted out." 🥹
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) August 17, 2025
head coach Stephanie White was overcome with emotion in the locker room after a thrilling comeback win over the Sun. pic.twitter.com/yt6h06boG9
Sophie Cunningham Injury Update
White was not able to provide an update on Cunningham's status in the aftermath of the emotional overtime win on Sunday.
She is expected to have an MRI on Monday to determine the severity of the injury, which occurred when Connecticut guard Bria Hartley fell and made contact with her standing right leg.
Related: Calls Mount for Indiana Fever to Make Caitlin Clark Decision After Sophie Cunningham News
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 17, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Basketball
