Stephanie White comes in with a vision for the championship this season. She is pushing for pace, to play free, and trusting her players with decisions on the fly. And if you fumble, she is there to right the wrongs. In Aliyah Boston’s words,“we also know that if things aren’t going our way, we have a coach at the helm who knows how to adjust.” That’s Coach White for you. Even better? She isn’t looking past even when things go their way.
The coach’s approach came to the forefront after the Fever took the court against the Brazilian National Team at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Notably, 14,998 fans packed the stands to see Caitlin Clark make her preseason debut for 2025. And the 23-year-old sensation didn’t disappoint, dropping 16 points and dishing five assists in just 19 minutes to lead Indiana to a dominant 108–44 win over Brazil.
But it wasn’t just the Caitlin Clark show. Sophie Cunningham, Kelsey Mitchell, and Lexie Hull also lit it up from beyond the arc, combining for a blistering 45.5% from three. The best part? It took Indiana only two quarters to hit the 70-point mark—while holding Brazil to just 24. On paper, it was everything fans expected to see from a Fever team now under the command of Stephanie White. But not so fast.
For Coach White, even a 64-point win left plenty to critique. “Some of our rotations defensively… missed rotations, poor closeouts, and certainly securing defensive rebounds—we did not do a good job,” she said. And sure, at first, that might sound like a coach demanding a lot. But what else would you expect from someone aiming to build a strong defensive unit after coming off of one?
Despite shooting just 26.6% from the field, Brazil grabbed 16 offensive rebounds—a glaring indicator that Indiana struggled to finish defensive possessions. Even with such a dominant performance, the Fever only held a moderate overall rebounding edge, 48–36. That’s a small margin for a team that forced Brazil into 45 missed shots. But it isn’t just one end of the floor she is focusing on.
“Offensively, just continuing to work our spacing and our pacing… sometimes we were on top of one another,” White added. Sure, Indiana scored 108 points. They also tallied 25 assists on 39 made field goals—solid ball movement, no doubt. But White is clearly pointing to the half-court sets, where things got a bit rushed and players clumped into crowded lanes instead of maintaining flow.
Still, the expectations are clear from the head coach: “The most important thing is that we choose every day that ‘we over the me.’”
And despite the nitpicks, this Fever team has clearly improved. They had only 12 turnovers compared to Brazil’s 27, showing sharper discipline and tighter execution. On top of that, Indiana racked up 13 steals and 17 fast-break points—evidence of team hustle and a shared effort on both ends. But make no mistake: there was one standout who held the spotlight for all the right reasons.
Caitlin Clark is an inspiration for the Indiana Fever, too!
For Caitlin Clark, it was a homecoming game—one where she had every chance to shine. And shine she did. She stepped back 36 feet from the bucket and fired a logo three. All net. The refs signaled three points, and 14,998 fans held their breath just long enough to witness a generational talent in action.
“Anytime that you have her on the floor, she just draws so much attention,” expressed Sophie Cunningham. That’s the thing, Clark is as dominant as ever. Just look at her stat line: 16 points, nearly 66.7% from deep, and an overall 60% shooting clip from the field.
“I just think she’s great—the way she sees the floor, the way she scores the ball. I mean, who wouldn’t want to play with her?” Cunningham added. “Yeah, I think the energy here was awesome. The energy in Iowa was on a whole ‘nother level. You know, they live and die with CC over there.”
Even before joining the Fever, Cunningham had already expressed a desire to play alongside her. She once called Clark a “gem,” a fitting word for someone redefining the sport. And it’s that same sentiment that captures the fervent support Clark still receives from her Iowa fanbase—even now.
The post Indiana Fever’s 64-Point Win Picked Apart By HC Despite Caitlin Clark Stamp Of Approval From Team’s Newest Star appeared first on EssentiallySports.
