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Veteran Indiana Fever forward DeWanna Bonner stood up for teammate Sophie Cunningham after the latter was roughened up in their preseason game against the Washington Mystics on Saturday.
The incident took place in the opening half of action at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. While Cunningham was jockeying for position, she was tossed to the floor by Washington guard Brittney Sykes.
Upon seeing what happened, DeWanna Bonner immediately had her teammate's back, going right at the face of Sykes for the rough play she did.
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Fans picked up what happened and let their thoughts known on X (formerly Twitter).
"I'ts sports you're supposed to punch the bully in the face, she's been disliked for her play," one fan suggested.
"Every team out to get the Fever. Good thing we have feisty vets now!" a comment pointed out.
"We want the smoke #NowYouKnow," a Fever fan warned.
"MAD respect for Bonner! Class act!" a user gave DeWanna Bonner props.
"Mama Bear DB," another chimed in.
"Bonner about to change the culture," a comment highlighted.
"Fever got help 👀," one fan brought forth.
The Fever, who were without starting point guard Caitlin Clark (precaution for a leg issue), played catchup for much of the game but eventually hacked out a 79-74 overtime victory over the Mystics.
Cunningham led the way for Indiana in the win, coming off the bench to score a team-high 21 points on 6-of-11 shooting, to go along with eight rebounds. Lexie Hull had 13 points and Kelsey Mitchell had 12.
Sophie Cunningham gives props to DeWanna Bonner for having her back
Sophie Cunningham was appreciative of what DeWanna Bonner did for her during the intense moment she had with Washington Mystics' Brittney Sykes in their preseason game on Saturday. She said it boded well for their team moving forward.
She spoke about it in the postgame press conference following the Indiana Fever's 79-74 OT win over the Mystics, highlighting how being tight as a group will be key for their success in the upcoming WNBA season.
Cunningham said:
"She had my back. And I think that's what it's all about... We have a huge target on our backs, I don't think that's a secret. So, making sure our locker room is like this [tight] and that'll naturally flow out onto the court, and I think you guys saw that."
DeWanna Bonner and Cunningham are among the seasoned players brought in by the Fever in the offseason to shore up their roster. The team is looking to build on a solid campaign last season, where they broke a seven-year playoff drought.
Indiana plays the Brazilian National Team in another preseason game on Sunday at the Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City.
