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Natasha Howard played a pivotal role in the Indiana Fever's win over the Las Vegas Aces, 80-70, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Thursday. The hard-nosed forward set the tone for the Fever on defense, as they held their opponent below 80 points for the third time in four outings.
Howard finished with a double-double of 18 points and 13 rebounds on top of three steals to help Indiana, still playing without injured star Caitlin Clark, improve to 13-12.
After the game, Howard said their defense fueled them. On a personal level, she admitted that having shouting matches with her teammates also fired her up versus the Aces.
“I just went out there and just played my game, and also just chirping to my teammates, and my teammates chirping back to me as well,” said Howard in a report from Indianapolis Star's Chloe Peterson.
Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, who was sitting next to Howard in the locker room, couldn't help but give a curt reaction.
“You’re welcome,” said Cunningham, who contributed 15 points, including three 3-pointers, and three rebounds.
It looks like the tequila shots are indeed over for the Fever.
Indiana acquired the 33-year-old Howard and the 28-year-old Cunningham in the offseason, although it's the former's second run with the team after suiting up from 2014 to 2015. In her return, Howard has displayed the same tenacity that made her the Defensive Player of the Year in 2019.
Fever coach Stephanie White echoed Howard's emphasis on defense after their win, which ended a two-game skid.
“We really challenged their pride, their individual defensive pride. You gotta guard your yard. You gotta guard your matchup. We gotta guard two-and-two in the pick-and-roll. We gotta do a better job of locking into that consistently. I felt like individually, for the most part, we held true to that,” said White.
Indiana will return to action on Sunday against the Chicago Sky.
