The Indiana Fever fought to remain competitive in Thursday’s meeting with the Seattle Storm despite the absences of on-court veteran leaders Temi Fagbenle and Erica Wheeler. The Storm proved too strong for the Fever, who lost 103-88, but coach Christie Sides and players are holding on to optimism through the tough beginning of the season.

Fagbenle endured an untimely foot injury in Tuesday’s game against Los Angeles and appears to be sidelined for at least two weeks. After her recent elevation to the starting lineup, her absence leaves a hole in the first five that NaLyssa Smith was eager to fill.

“Lyss was awesome in her approach to not starting,” coach Christie Sides said. “She was like, ‘Coach, what do you need me to do?’ She’s been working extremely hard. She comes in the game and she’s given us what she knows she needs for us to have a chance to get some wins.”

Smith tallied 10 points in the first frame on Thursday, totaled 23 in the matchup, and shot the ball efficiently, making 57 percent of her shot attempts. The second overall pick in the WNBA’s 2022 draft set season-highs in points, rebounds (10), and assists (five), solidifying her Thursday night effort as her best game of the season.

Smith shot her way to 1,000 career points before the end of the first half of play, connecting on a 3-point shot off a cross-court pass from Kelsey Mitchell to launch herself past the milestone.

“It’s a blessing to reach 1,000 points in three years,” Smith said. “I don’t take this game for granted, so every time I’m on the floor, I’m gonna give everything I’ve got. Our goal is to win here. I’m just so ready to win.”

Not only did Smith’s shot propel her into quadruple-digit scoring territory for her career, but it cut the Storm’s lead to four with just over two minutes left until the halftime buzzer.

Despite a strong first-half effort, the third quarter proved fatal for Indiana as Seattle notched 34 points and held the Fever to just 18. The Storm’s one-two punch – scoring more than 30 points while holding Indiana under 20 for the quarter – eliminated any chance at the first Fever win in Gainbridge this season.

“I just think we’ve not had the practice time,” Sides said. “That has a lot to do with it, 103 points is just too many. We’ve got to get back, got to find some time to practice to get back to just our shell defense.”

Indiana won the second and fourth quarters, but the third-quarter explosion from the Storm kept the Fever at bay. Sides believes the group can put together a stout defense, but they need time in the gym together before it will show up on-court. The Fever haven’t had that time this season, largely due to a front-heavy schedule.

“I took this job last year and they won five games,” Sides said. “And we built a strong culture here that I’m so proud of. And you have to keep getting better, right?… So then we come to camp, and we have just a few days to get ready for our first game. And then we play more games than anybody, without the practice, playing against the best teams in the league.”

Indiana has played more games this year than any other WNBA team, totaling nine contests in the first 16 days of the season. Two of those games were played against a 2023 WNBA Finals participant, the New York Liberty. Another matched Indiana up against the Las Vegas Aces, 2023’s WNBA Champions. Two more games saw the Fever face off against the league’s only remaining undefeated team, the Connecticut Sun.

“I don’t think we’re really showing our full product yet and it’s just a work in progress,” rookie guard Caitlin Clark said. “We’re young, we’re inexperienced…We did some good things. We won the second quarter, we were only down six at halftime. And then it really gets away with from us in the third…This league is that good, where you have one bad spurt and it’s over and that seems like it’s been the case for us and a lot of these games that we’ve lost.”

Clark finished with a near double-double, tallying 20 points, three rebounds, and nine assists. Aliyah Boston, the first overall pick in 2023, did finish with a double-double. She notched 11 points to go with her 12 rebounds. Katie Lou Samuelson found a groove, dropping in four of her six 3-point attempts for 12 points off the bench.

The Fever roster is studded with capable players, and Indiana continues to show flashes of potential – its 88 points scored on Thursday outscores the average of every other team in the league but the Minnesota Lynx. Once the practice time is available and the defense clicks into place, the Fever hope to find their rhythm.