Colts’ Shane Steichen praises Fever after dramatic WNBA playoff victory

It took a decade, but the Indiana Fever finally celebrated a WNBA playoff series victory. The injury-depleted team upset the Atlanta Dream in the first round, winning Game 3 on Thursday in dramatic fashion.

After avoiding elimination by winning Game 2, Indiana’s fourth-quarter heroics resulted in a stunning 87-85 upset. Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen took notice of the Fever’s remarkable playoff run and offered his praise.

“Shoutout to the Fever and Coach White for getting it done last night and moving on. Obviously, they’ve dealt with some adversity, with some injuries, and it’s the next person up for them. So it’s been fun and [I] wish them all the best of luck in the next round for sure,” Steichen said during his media availability on Friday.

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Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen walks the field before an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Indianapolis.  (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

“I thought it was awesome to find a way to win there, it shows just the grittiness, the toughness, the resilience that they’re playing with right now. You can see they’re all playing together. So, it’s exciting for them, it’s exciting for the city.” 

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Fever star Sophie Cunningham reacted to Steichen’s comments. “wait this is so cool! love you are reppin’ the Fever Girlies coach,” she wrote on X. 

Meanwhile, Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell praised her head coach Stephanie White after Indiana advanced to the semifinals. 

“I’ve had so many coaches in eight years, I’ve been on the worst record teams in the Indiana Fever (history), so I know where my career started at,” Mitchell said after the sixth-seeded Fever rallied in the final minute to beat the third-seeded Dream 87-85 in a decisive Game 3. “I know what I’ve had to go through to kind of be in this position, and I’ve never had a coach that poured into me respectfully, like Steph has. I’ve never felt that as a pro.”

Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White on the sideline during Game 2 of a WNBA first round playoff matchup between the Fever and the Atlanta Dream at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

The Dream finished the regular season with 30 wins, the most in the Eastern Conference. Atlanta entered the playoffs as one of the favorites to make it to the WNBA Finals.

Despite being short-handed throughout much of the year due to injuries, the Fever won the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup and finished with 24 wins.

Five players who started the 2025 season on the Fever’s roster were lost to season-ending injuries. To make matters worse, those setbacks occurred within a two-month window.

In early September, Caitlin Clark announced she had been ruled out for the rest of the season. Clark has been sidelined since July 15, when she suffered a groin injury in a game against the Connecticut Sun.

Indiana Fever players react after defeating the Atlanta Dream during Game 3 in the first round of the WNBA Playoffs at Gateway Center Arena, Thursday, in Atlanta.  (Dale Zanine/Imagn Images)

“I spent hours in the gym every day with the singular goal of getting back out there, disappointed isn’t a big enough word to describe how I am feeling,” the point guard wrote on X on Sept. 4.

Fellow Fever guards Sydney Colson and Aari McDonald each went down with their own significant injuries during a matchup with the Phoenix Mercury last month. Colson suffered a torn ACL, while McDonald was diagnosed with a broken foot.

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Cunningham suffered a season-ending MCL injury on Aug. 27. 

The Fever will meet the Las Vegas Aces in the semifinals. Game 1 tips off on Sunday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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