Fever, Mystics players get into heated incidents during preseason game

The vigor was turned up a notch arsenic the Indiana Fever and the Washington Mystics squared disconnected successful the archetypal preseason crippled of the twelvemonth connected Saturday.

At 1 point, Cunningham went up for a antiaircraft rebound implicit Mystics rookie Kiki Iriafen. The seasoned defender was tossed to the crushed and got into the look of the erstwhile USC standout. Fever defender Lexie Hull had to measurement successful betwixt the 2 players.

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Washington Mystics Emily Engstler (21), Indiana Fever Sophie Cunningham (8) and Washington Mystics Sonia Citron (22) combat for a escaped shot connected Saturday, May 3, 2025, during a preseason crippled betwixt the Indiana Fever and the Washington Mystics astatine Gainbridge Fieldhouse successful Indianapolis. (Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)

Mystics defender Morgan Jones enactment her limb astir Iriafen arsenic the 6-foot-3 turned her backmost distant from Cunningham and smiled. Iriafen was deed with a Flagrant 1 foul.

It wasn’t the lone incidental during the game.

Cunningham was besides getting held by Brittney Sykes arsenic she tried to marque herself disposable for a DeWanna Bonner pass. Sykes pushed Cunningham to the crushed and was met with Bonner’s intensity.

CAITLIN CLARK DEALING WITH LEG ISSUE AHEAD OF WNBA PRE-SEASON

Indiana Fever Lexie Hull (10) passes to Indiana Fever Sophie Cunningham (8) connected Saturday, May 3, 2025, during a preseason crippled betwixt the Indiana Fever and the Washington Mystics astatine Gainbridge Fieldhouse successful Indianapolis. (Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)

"Sophie's a dawg," Fever caput manager Stephanie White said, via Indy Star. "She's a competitor. She's versatile. She allows america to bash antithetic things. She plays with specified toughness. She's huge, and she's going to beryllium for america each play long.

"What she brings, from an vigor standpoint, she raises the level of play of everybody astir her arsenic soon arsenic she steps ft connected the floor, hell, adjacent connected the sideline. I mean, her communication, everything, she's decidedly an X factor."

Indiana won the crippled 79-74 successful overtime.

The Mystics made person had 1 of the worst records successful the WNBA past play but made wide successful the preseason that they weren’t going to beryllium pushed astir by immoderate team.

Indiana Fever adjunct manager Austin Kelly and Indiana Fever caput manager Stephanie White observe Saturday, May 3, 2025, during a preseason crippled betwixt the Indiana Fever and the Washington Mystics astatine Gainbridge Fieldhouse successful Indianapolis. (Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)

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Washington’s play begins May 16 against the Atlanta Dream.

Indiana’s play begins May 17 against the Chicago Sky.

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