"The dogs were barkin": Sophie Cunningham turns car meltdown into comedy gold after being left in the heat

It was a rough Tuesday night for Fever forward Sophie Cunningham. Before even tipping off against the Paige Bueckers-led Dallas Wings, in what became a tight 81-80 loss for Indiana, her car broke down, forcing her to arrive at Gainbridge Fieldhouse drenched in sweat.

Cunningham showed up in heels, laughing as she told reporters her car had stalled and she had to walk to the arena. She still stopped to pose for photos with a wide grin.

After the game, Cunningham kept the humor going, joking about how her “dogs were barkin’,” referring to her sore feet from the walk.

“I need a car 🤣 the dogs were barkin!” she tweeted.

Despite the rocky start, Sophie Cunningham delivered a strong performance, scoring 40 points on 50.0% shooting. With the Fever missing three point guards, she stepped up to provide much-needed offense, though the team ultimately fell short in the close contest.

After trailing by as many as 17, the Fever rallied and had a chance to win on their final possession, but Kelsey Mitchell’s go-ahead attempt missed.

Mitchell led all scorers with 24 points, Aliyah Boston chipped in 14 and Natasha Howard tallied 12 points along with 12 rebounds.

Stephanie White praises Sophie Cunningham’s energy amid injury struggles

Before Tuesday’s matchup with Dallas, Fever coach Stephanie White highlighted Sophie Cunningham’s influence on Indiana during its injury-plagued stretch.

“Her energy, her bubbly personality, her competitive fire, … I don’t know that I would say anyone on our team outside Sophie and (Caitlin Clark) would have been spicy before,” White said.

“But it’s something that’s contagious. It’s good energy, bad energy, competitive fire, physicality. All of those things are contagious.”

White added that bringing in an enforcer and a big locker room personality like Cunningham was a key offseason goal, and she’s happy to see it paying off.

“She brings a different level of that to this team. It’s something that we needed. We knew that we needed it in the offseason, and we were able to address with Soph.

“Now that she’s back to being as healthy as anybody can be at this point in the year and finding her stride, I think you’re seeing it go to another level.”

The Fever continue to battle a wave of injuries, with Caitlin Clark sidelined and season-ending losses of Sydney Colson (torn left ACL) and Aari McDonald (fractured bone in right foot).

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