The Indiana Boom won the 2025 WNBA Commissioner Cup in Minnesota Tuesday night, the first in franchise history, defeating the 2024 Domination Finals champion Minnesota Lynx 74-59.
The fever this season has caused some damage. They reached the Cup final when they didn’t have starting guard Caitlin Clark taking part in a groin injury, with Indiana rallying around the old and new core. “Learning without her competition [Caitlin]it is important to learn to play big games at tough times at both ends of the floor, as it will allow us to give us dividends within the scope of this season.
Despite a 20-12 drop at the end of the first quarter, Indiana has no problem with bounce. “We know they’re a great team and they’re going to keep running, so for us it’s about including those running and then being alone,” Aria Boston told Tabitha Turner Wilkins in her sideline interview.
Indiana played in the second stage, hitting the game 18-0 in the last eight minutes of the second, beating Sanlia 20-7 this quarter. The defense was Lynch Pin who won Tuesday night. Introducing the Commissioner Cup, Stephanie White told Michael Grady: “We had a great defensive energy into the second quarter. Our sense of urgency, our detailed direction on the defensive end, which allowed us to play up and down and do our best.”
The fever played a resilient game and paid the entire team to grab the dubbing, but at the end of the day, there was only one Commissioner Cup MVP. Natasha Howard received honors with a double of 16 and 12. “Tash is a professional flying under radar. She won on every level and I think we have to spend more of it,” Kelsey Mitchell told reporters after the game.
Howard isn’t the only low-level cooking. Through her 12 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists, Aria Boston’s influence was everywhere. The fever guards are from the periphery. Sophie Cunningham scored 13 points and 7 rebounds. Kelsey Mitchell fell 12 points and 3 assists. Aari McDonald posted 12 points and 3 rebounds.
Fever entered the October season to compete for the championship after seeing the organization build a competitive roster during the offseason. Although they are currently ranked 8th in the league standings with an 8-8 record, fever wins the Commissioner’s Cup to the bank, investing in momentum midway through the season. Since the game was founded, the last three winners of the Commissioner Cup have reached the WNBA finals. The fever is fighting for the stripes.
“If anything, what I learned tonight is that they have something to do. I mean, they played five of the last six games on the way here. If you can win the game on the road like they did, the sky is really the limit in the environment like they won tonight. It’s a team that starts to gain confidence and they show their depth,” Lachina Robinson said via ESPN. ”
Photos through Getty Images.
