Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham is widely known for her shooting and playmaking abilities, but not for her shot-blocking. Hence, the guard was visibly pumped on Sunday after recording a rare block during the Fever’s win over the Seattle Storm.
A clip of the guard’s block was shared by Indiana Fever’s handle on X (formerly Twitter).
“Nice block Soph 😉,” the Fever captioned the post.
However, the moment drew criticism from fans online as many viewed Cunningham’s animated celebration as excessive.
The guard, however, took the criticism head-on and fired back with a sharp response.
“HAHAHA “act like you’ve been there before”….. okay but the last I did this was against my 2 year old niece. LET ME LIVE!!!!” Cunningham remarked.
Her response added a humorous touch as she celebrated the moment of successfully blocking Mackenzie Holmes at the rim. While the block stood out, it was not her only contribution in the game.
Cunningham scored 17 points in 25 minutes off the bench, helping the Fever maintain control and secure an 89-78 win over the Storm, marking their first home victory of the season.
While the former Mercury star will be pleased with her performance and the block, there is still room for improvement, with Cunningham struggling to make an impact from beyond the arc. Despite shooting a career-high 44.4% from three-point range this season, the guard converted just one of her five attempts on Sunday and will look to improve in that area.
With the Fever sitting at 2-2 to start the season, Cunningham and company will aim to build momentum from this result when they host the newly formed Portland Fire at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Wednesday.
Sophie Cunningham calls for defensive improvement as Fever hold Storm under 80 points
The Indiana Fever have struggled defensively this season, especially at home, with the team conceding over 100 points in their first two games in Indianapolis.
However, they were able to break that trend during their win over the Storm on Sunday, as Sophie Cunningham called for further defensive improvements in the upcoming games.
“I do think that we have to pick it up defensively because this league is hard to win,” Cunningham said (Timestamp: 1:41). “Like I said, the offense will come, but we have to set a standard and a baseline on defense from top to bottom.”
The win on Sunday marked just the second time this season that the Fever has held an opponent under 80 points, limiting the Storm to 78.
Edited by Arian Kashyap