INDIANAPOLIS (WOWO): The Indiana Fever wrapped up their preseason schedule in dominant fashion Saturday afternoon, rolling past the Nigerian national team 105-57 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The preseason finale gave Indiana its closest look yet at a fully healthy rotation ahead of next weekend’s regular season opener — and the results were impressive.
The Fever overwhelmed Nigeria early with aggressive defense and efficient transition offense, racing out to a 70-point first half while building a 41-point halftime lead. Indiana eclipsed the 100-point mark with four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and cruised to the 48-point victory.
Aliyah Boston made her preseason debut after missing Indiana’s first two exhibition contests and immediately made an impact. Boston scored four points on 2-of-3 shooting and dished out six assists in just 10 minutes of action while operating as a focal point of the Fever offense.
Indiana also unveiled new offensive sets featuring Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell setting screens for Boston as a ball handler — creating mismatches and open driving lanes.
“AB’s game has expanded,” Fever head coach Stephanie White said after the game. “She played point forward for us last year, and when you have two playmakers that are screeners, it makes defenses make a choice.
“I think that we’ve got to be creative in ways that we can get one another shots and create space. I think that we have an opportunity with those three on the floor to do a lot of different things.”
Clark followed up her 21-point outing against Dallas earlier in the week with 12 points and four assists in only 13 minutes Saturday. She knocked down two of her three attempts from beyond the arc.
Mitchell led Indiana in scoring with 17 points while connecting on all three of her 3-point attempts in just 14 minutes.
Rookie Raven Johnson continued her strong preseason play with nine points and a team-high seven rebounds. Johnson also delivered one of the highlight plays of the afternoon, threading a pass between two defenders to Mitchell for an easy basket in the first half.
Makayla Timpson added 12 points, five rebounds, and two blocked shots as Indiana’s depth once again stood out.
The only regular rotation player unavailable Saturday was Lexie Hull, who remains sidelined with a lingering hamstring injury that has kept her out throughout the preseason.
“She seems to be doing really well,” White said. “With some of those nagging things, if it’s not necessary then we’ll take our time. Now she’ll have a whole other week before we have to play again.”
The Fever now turn their attention to the regular season opener next Saturday against Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET in Indianapolis.
