The Indiana Fever will aim to snap a four-game losing streak Tuesday when they host the Seattle Storm in Indianapolis.
Indiana (5-17) has the WNBA’s worst record this season and finds itself well out of the playoff hunt in the Eastern Conference. Seattle (13-8), meanwhile, has the second-best record in the Western Conference and hopes the addition of Tina Charles will increase the chances that its championship goals become a reality.
Charles hasn’t made a big impact just yet, though. She’s played in three games with the Storm since her release from the struggling Phoenix Mercury. The 33-year-old center hasn’t started yet for Seattle, has yet to play more than 20 minutes in a game, and is averaging just five points and five rebounds per game — well below her Phoenix averages of 17.3 points and 7.3 rebounds in 33.1 minutes per game.
In the Storm’s 90-76 loss to the Atlanta Dream on Sunday, Charles had just two points (on 1-of-6 shooting) and two rebounds in 14 minutes of action.
Seattle coach Noelle Quinn is hoping to get Charles more acclimated to Seattle’s system.
“Just being strategic about how we teach. We haven’t had a lot of time,” Quinn said. “So, just using more film, especially with this (All-Star) break. Practice time, we’ll obviously benefit from, with having (Charles) on the court and getting up and down and in the flow.”
Indiana just lost to the Storm on Friday, 73-57. While Seattle has played a game since, the Fever have sulked in that loss a bit. Indiana hasn’t won a game since June 19, when they shocked the Chicago Sky with a two-point victory.
In that last loss to Seattle, rookie Lexie Hull made her first career start in place of Victoria Vivians, who was out with a shoulder injury. Picked sixth overall out of Stanford in the 2022 draft, Hull finished her first start with four points (2-of-11 shooting), five rebounds and two assists in 24-plus minutes of action. Despite her poor shooting, interim Indiana coach Carlos Knox was complimentary of Hull’s effort.
“I thought it was decent,” Knox told the Indianapolis Star. “… I think she got a taste, which was good for her, and we’re just going to continue to develop.”
–Field Level Media
