Sophie Cunningham Sends Clear Message After Fever’s Win Without Her originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Indiana Fever defeated the Washington Mystics with a final score of 85-76 on Tuesday evening, finally breaking their three-game losing streak.
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Indiana opened a tight game with a dominant third quarter, led by Kelsey Mitchell’s 24 points and Lexie Hull’s 14 points. Aari McDonald, whom the Fever signed via an emergency hardship exception, also made her Fever debut and added to the team’s depth in the backcourt. The team’s strong defense and hustle plays kept the Mystics off balance, holding them to just 1-of-10 from beyond the arc.
Despite being out with an ankle injury and a chipped tooth, Fever guard Sophie Cunningham was still all smiles at Gainbrige Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Before the game started, the Stanford alum spent time signing autographs and taking selfies with fans. During the actual game, she and her teammate, Caitlin Clark, who is also out for the next week due to a quad injury, cheered their team on from the sidelines.
Indiana Fever guards Lexie Hull, Caitlin Clark and Sophie CunninghamMandatory Credit: Grace Smth- INDIANAPOLIS STAR-Imagn Images
In a video posted by the Fever’s official X account moments after their win, they caught many of the players, including Aliyah Boston, Hull and Natasha Howard, running out of the tunnel and feeling great after the win.
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The last player to be featured was Cunningham. Though she did not play today due to her injury, she was just as overjoyed. The 28-year-old athlete walked out wearing a black tube top and a pair of black pants. Her long blonde hair was in a half-up-half-down, and she accessorized the look with a simple gold cross necklace and two pairs of gold hoop earrings.
“That’s a good-looking dub,” Cunningham said with a smile. “Woo, happy days!”
The 28-year-old athlete sustained her right ankle injury during the Fever’s preseason game against the Atlanta Dream on May 10, causing her to miss the season opener against the Chicago Sky that happened a week later. She then re-injured the same ankle in the fourth quarter of the game against the Connecticut Sun last Friday, further sidelining her.
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An hour before the game between the Fever and the Mystics started, Fever head coach Stephanie White was asked during a pregame press conference if there were any updates on Cunningham’s ankle injury and Clark’s quad injury.
“No. Not yet,” White simply responded. “Sorry. I wish.”
The Fever will be playing against the Chicago Sky at the United Center on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET (7 p.m. CT). It is highly unlikely that Cunningham will be playing this weekend, because her re-evaluation is scheduled for next Monday.
Related: Sophie Cunningham’s Gesture Before Fever Game Catches Attention
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
