Lexie Hull’s Career Night Helps Fever Outlast Storm

Lexie Hull’s Career Night Helps Fever Outlast Storm

By Madie Chandler | FeverBasketball.com

The Indiana Fever were winless in three games against Seattle entering the fourth and final matchup with the Storm on Sunday, but this one was different. Fighting for playoff positioning, Indiana sought a high-profile win, and Seattle sat at fourth in the overall rankings. Looking to elevate above the seventh position, the Fever swaggered onto the court prepared to rain on Seattle’s parade.

They did just that, one 3-point basket at a time, as they took the fourth game in the season series against Seattle in a thrilling display of shooting.

Lexie Hull stamped the first half with a timely 10 points as she navigated herself to space around the rim and beyond the 3-point line, and played her role to perfection as she connected on four of her first six shots to bring her within two points of her 2024 season high (12). Her sense for spacing created the opportunity that became Caitlin Clark’s 225th assist of the season – a WNBA rookie-assist-record setting dump-off pass as both players ran to the rim in transition. More importantly, Hull was a vital piece in the Fever’s offensive surge to flip the score by the halftime buzzer.

A slow start saw Indiana score just 13 points on 33 percent shooting and finish the first quarter without a 3-point basket. Hull made two in the second quarter as the Fever overcame a seven point deficit to lead at the break, 35-34. Kelsey Mitchell followed suit and knocked down two more in the third quarter on her way to a 10-point frame, and 27 points overall.

Indiana and Seattle remained separated by just a single point through three frames, the Fever leading 59-58.

“We felt like we could have just played with a little bit of a faster tempo,” Clark said. “We’re really good at transition, but even in the half court, we were just kind of moving a step slow, like we wanted a little more energy in the ball.

“And I think once we got that in the second half, their rotations, once they got tired, just weren’t as good. And then we were able to get, you know, not as many contested shots, and we were able to knock them down. And I don’t know what we shot there in the fourth quarter, but I felt like we made just about every shot.”

The fourth quarter swagger from the Indiana sideline was contagious. Hull took an offensive foul on the first possession of the quarter, knocked down two more 3-pointers, and then took another charge on defense. The crowd was amped, and the players on the court drew from that energy, extending the lead to 10 points with 5:51 left to play.

“Confidence is everything,” Clark said. “Confidence is good for the group, and it’s also contagious. So the more we’ve had of that, the better we’ve been. But like Christie said, obviously, playoffs is our goal. That’s my goal for this team, but it has to be one game at a time. You can’t get too ahead of yourself. That’s how good every single team in this league is.”

Indiana would ride that wave of confidence to a 33-point fourth quarter, outscoring the Storm by 16 on their way to a victory over one of the league’s top-5 teams. They dropped in eight 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, shooting a scorching 80% from deep range. Hull made four total 3-point baskets in the pivotal fourth quarter offensive effort from Indiana, ensuring their 92-75 win over Seattle and a new career high of 22 points. She made six of her seven deep tries overall – an 85% success rate from the 3-point line.

Hull got to enjoy her moment with family as her grandma and sister traveled to Indiana to sit courtside for her career night.

“To get a win in front of anyone is great,” Hull said. “To win in front of my grandma, who came all the way from Spokane, and my sister who came from Austin, It’s amazing. And to have them courtside was super cool too. So really good, really good feeling tonight.”

Hull’s family enjoyed the game with 17,272 other fans as Gainbridge Fieldhouse recorded yet another sellout for a Fever home game. They’ve performed in front of sellout crowds for all but three regular season games, and they’re using that momentum to earn an opportunity to play in the WNBA’s postseason.

“Sometimes when there’s shots that are made or something big happens, I’ve coached in this league a long time, and the way the crowd sounds and what that feels like, it’s like you’re playing in the championship,” coach Christie Sides said. “And that, for our players to experience this every night that we’re putting on our shoes and coming out and playing these minutes, it’s incredible. It’s incredible. Great time for Women’s Basketball. Great time for the Fever.”