Williams, Sun aim to keep Fever winless (May 19, 2017)
A pair of winless teams will compete for their first victory of the season when the Indiana Fever host the Connecticut Sun on Saturday evening.
The contest marks the regular-season home opener for the Fever (0-2), who posted an 8-9 record at home last season. Indiana has dropped its first two games this season against the Seattle Storm and Phoenix Mercury.
Connecticut (0-1) also is trying to bounce back after losing its home opener against the Atlanta Dream. The Sun will play their first road game of the season after going 6-11 away from home in 2015-16.
Connecticut second-year guard Courtney Williams will try to stay hot after making her first seven shots in Saturday's season opener against Atlanta. Williams finished with 18 points in 27 minutes.
"I want to be more consistent, that's one of the main things I'm trying to do this year is be more dependable," Williams told the Sun's official website. "A lot of teams, when they scout me, I'm known as a (mid-range) jump shooter. So I worked on my outside game, so they have to respect that, as well."
Indiana and Connecticut squared off against each other three times last season, with the Sun winning the season series 2-1. Connecticut outscored Indiana by a combined total of 31 points in three meetings.
This season already has included another lopsided loss for the Fever, who were routed 85-62 by Phoenix on Wednesday. The defeat prompted Indiana coach Pokey Chatman to challenge her team.
"This is big girl basketball," Chatman told the team's official website. "You can't let any team get comfortable in this league. ... We need to play with more pride from the opening tip."
Four players are averaging double figures in the Fever's first two games. Tiffany Mitchell leads the way with 14.0 points per game and is followed closely by Briann January (13.5), Shenise Johnson (13.0) and Candice Dupree (11.0). On the boards, Erlana Larkins leads the team with 7.5 rebounds per game.
Morgan Tuck will aim for her second consecutive 20-point performance after leading Connecticut with 21 points in the opener. Williams (18 points) and Jasmine Thomas (14) also netted double figures.
Sun forward-center Jonquel Jones could provide a difficult challenge for the Fever's frontcourt. The 6-foot-6 George Washington alum led the nation in rebounding as a senior in college, and she pulled down a career-high 20 rebounds against Atlanta to start her second WNBA season.
