"Like DUHHH" - Sophie Cunningham super excited for Lexie Hull after spectacular effort in Fever's win vs Mystics

The Indiana Fever snapped a three-game skid with an 85-76 victory over the Washington Mystics on Tuesday, thanks to a standout performance from Lexie Hull, who stepped up in the absence of two-thirds of the “Tres Leches” trio — Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham.

Hull put up 14 points on an efficient 6-of-9 shooting, logging a team-high 36 minutes. She added six boards, four assists and finished with a game-best plus-19 rating. Her output was just one point shy of her season-best, which came in the narrow May 24 loss to the New York Liberty.

On Instagram, the Fever celebrated Hull, writing she “brought the energy in tonight’s dub over Washington,” with Cunningham chiming in supportively in the comments.

“Like DUHHHH,” Cunningham wrote

Sophie Cunningham super excited for Lexie Hull after spectacular effort in Fever's win vs Mystics

Hull wasn’t alone in fueling the win. Kelsey Mitchell paced the Fever with a game-high 24 points, shooting 50% and sinking four 3-pointers. Aliyah Boston chipped in 10 points on perfect shooting, while Damiris Dantas and DeWanna Bonner added a combined 17 off the bench.

For Washington, rookies led the charge again. Kiki Iriafen posted 20 points and nine boards, while Sonia Citron added 13 markers and seven rebounds. Brittney Sykes contributed 20 points, six rebounds and four assists.

Next up for Indiana are familiar foes in the Chicago Sky on Saturday and Atlanta Dream on Tuesday. The Fever have beaten both teams already this season.

Why were Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham sidelined against the Mystics?

The Fever were hit hard by injuries, with both Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham unable to suit up.

Cunningham is nursing a right ankle issue, while Clark is expected to be out until June 9 due to a quad strain.

Fever coach Stephanie White shared on Sunday that Cunningham’s MRI brought “good news,” and that both she and Sydney Colson, who returned from a right leg injury to play Tuesday, were considered day-to-day.

“Right now, it's a day-to-day thing,” White said per IndyStar.com. “We're looking forward to hopefully them returning at some point sooner rather than later, but at the same time, it's how each of them progresses in their rehab.”

With Indiana falling below 10 available players due to injuries, the team brought in guard Aari McDonald via a hardship exception contract.

About the author

John Ezekiel Hirro is an experienced NBA and WNBA journalist at Sportskeeda, with over five years in the field as a news correspondent, sports writer, and Editor-in-Chief. His sports writing career began in high school, where he garnered numerous accolades, including being named the national sports writing champion in 2016.

He earned his journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines in 2024 and served as the Editor-in-Chief of The Varsitarian, the university's official student publication, for four years—the longest in history.

A passionate basketball enthusiast, he became a fan of the OKC Thunder during the Russ-KD-Harden era. Russell Westbrook, his all-time favorite athlete, impressed him by stepping up as MVP after Kevin Durant's departure. His current favorite players include Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, who he believes are the future of the OKC franchise.

He excels in game analysis and rapid news story turnaround, drawing inspiration from the journalistic styles of Woj and Shams. He emphasizes thorough research to ensure accuracy in his articles. One of his most memorable moments is Russell Westbrook breaking Oscar Robertson's record with his 42nd triple-double and securing a 106-105 victory over the Denver Nuggets with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. Outside of writing, he enjoys listening to music and creating Spotify playlists.

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Edited by John Ezekiel Hirro