'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
In her Indiana Fever debut on Saturday, Sophie Cunningham stepped up in a big way. With Caitlin Clark sidelined with some tightness in her left leg, Cunningham impressed offensively in a game that went to overtime, and she got the crowd involved.
The Fever defeated the Washington Mystics 79-74. In her on-court interview postgame, Cunningham reflected on what it was like playing at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
"I work my tail off in the offseason, and now this is my fun," Cunningham said. "I want to go out there, I want to smile, I want to laugh, I want to get the crowd involved, and that's just who I am. I'm an energy player. At the end of the day, I'm going to do whatever the team needs. But when you get this building popping, it's really hard to play here."
Trending
Sophie Cunningham stats: How did Fever star perform with Caitlin Clark sidelined against Washington Mystics
Last year, the Indiana Fever returned to the playoffs for the first time since the 2016 season.
Despite that, the team was eliminated in the first round by the Connecticut Sun, leading to the team's front office making a series of big offseason acquisitions to bolster their roster.
One of those acquisitions was Sophie Cunningham, who spent all six seasons in the WNBA with the Phoenix Mercury. Cunningham landed in Indiana this summer as part of a four-team trade involving the Mercury, Fever, Sun and the Dallas Wings.
While she vowed to bring energy and tenacious two-way play to the floor, few could have predicted that her debut would play out the way it did.
Over 34 minutes, Cunningham recorded 21 points, eight rebounds, two assists and a steal.
While the team was without Caitlin Clark, Cunningham proved to be all that the Fever hoped for and more, leading the team to a big win in the preseason opener.
