2015 Indiana Fever season
16th season in the WNBA
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The 2015 WNBA season was the 16th season for the Indiana Fever of the Women's National Basketball Association.[1] This was Fever's first season under head coach, Stephanie White, who was promoted to the position after Lin Dunn retired at the end of 2014 season.[2]
| 2015 Indiana Fever season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Stephanie White |
| Arena | Bankers Life Fieldhouse |
| Results | |
| Record | 20–14 (.588) |
| Place | 3rd (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | 4th seed overall; Lost in Finals 3–2 to Minnesota |
| Media | |
| Television | FSMW, ESPN2 |
Fever finished third in the Eastern Conference with a record of 20–14. Fever faced Chicago Sky in Round 1 of Playoffs, winning the series 2–1. They then faced New York Liberty in the eastern conference final. After losing Game 1 at the Madison Square Garden, Fever won the next two games to win the series 2–1 and make the 2015 WNBA Finals where they faced Minnesota Lynx.
In the Finals, Fever won game 1 (75–69) to take a 1–0 lead in the series. Fever lost the next two games to go behind 1–2 before winning the fourth game at home tying the series 2–2. The Fever fell in the decisive 5th game to the Lynx, 52–69.[3][4]
During the 2015 season, Tamika Catchings broke multiple notable WNBA records. On August 26, she became the first player in WNBA history to record 1,000 career steals.[5] And during the 2015 playoffs, she became the first to register 1,000 career playoff points and also the player with the most playoff appearances (65).[6][7]
Draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College/Club | Outcome | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 21 | Chelsea Gardner | F |  United States |
Kansas Jayhawks | Waived on May 29 | [8][9] |
Transactions
Front office and coaching
| Date | Details | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| September 24, 2014 | Promoted Stephanie White to head coach | [10] |
Trades
| March | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| March 12 | To Indiana Fever Shenise Johnson 2015 No. 21 draft pick (Chelsea Gardner) |
To San Antonio Stars 2015 No. 6 draft pick (Dearica Hamby) and 2015 No. 30 draft pick (Dragana Stanković) |
[11] |
Free agency
Re-signed / extensions
| Player | Date | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Layshia Clarendon | January 1 | Exercised team option (Fourth-year) |
|
| Sydney Carter | February 10 | Details not announced | [12] |
| Lynetta Kizer | |||
| Tamika Catchings | February 26 | Two-year deal | [13] |
| Shavonte Zellous | June 11 | Activated (Post temporary suspension) |
[14] |
| Natalie Achonwa | August 18 | ||
| Briann January | August 31 | Multi-year contract extension | [15] |
Additions
| Player | Date | Notes | Former Team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeanette Pohlen | February 5 | Training camp contract | — | [16] |
| Natalie Achonwa | February 6 | Rookie contract (2014 draft pick – No. 9) |
Notre Dame Fighting Irish | [17][18] |
| Briana Butler | February 10 | Training camp contract | Connecticut Sun | [19] |
| Ty Marshall | ACS Sepsi SIC (Romania) | |||
| Alicia DeVaughn | March 10 | Tarbes Gespe Bigorre (France) |
[20] | |
| Chelsea Gardner | April 24 | Rookie contract (2015 draft pick – No. 21) |
Kansas Jayhawks | [21] |
Subtractions / Unsigned
| Player | Date | Reason | New Team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Krystal Thomas | January 12 | Free agency – restricted (qualifying offer extended) |
N/A – did not appear in league for 2015 season |
[22] |
| Karima Christmas | February 5 | Free agency – restricted | Tulsa Shock | [23] |
| Sydney Carter | May 29 | Waived | Atlanta Dream | [9] |
| Alicia DeVaughn | — | |||
| Chelsea Gardner | — | |||
| Ty Marshall | — | |||
| Shavonte Zellous | June 4 | Suspended contract – temporary | N/A – retained rights | [24] |
| Briana Butler | June 11 | Waived | — | [14] |
| Natalie Achonwa | August 7 | Suspended contract – temporary | N/A – retained rights | [25] |
Roster
Source[26]
| 2015 Indiana Fever roster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Depth
Schedule
Preseason
| 2015 pre-season game log Total: 1–1 (Home: 1–1; Road: 0–0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
May: 1–1 (Home: 1–1; Road: 0–0)
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| 2015 pre-season schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Regular season
| 2015 game log Total: 20–14 (Home: 11–6; Road: 9–8) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
June: 4–6 (Home: 1–4; Road: 3–2)
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July
: 6–2 (Home: 5–0; Road: 1–2)
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August
: 7–4 (Home: 3–2; Road: 4–2)
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September
: 3–2 (Home: 2–0; Road: 1–2)
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| 2015 season schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playoffs
| 2015 playoff game log | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conference Semi-Finals vs. Chicago Sky Won Series: 2–1
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Conference Finals vs. New York Liberty Won Series: 2–1
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WNBA Finals vs. Minnesota Lynx Lost Series: 2–3
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| 2015 playoff schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Standings
| Eastern Conference | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Conf. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x - New York Liberty | 23 | 11 | .676 | – | 12–5 | 11–6 | 13–9 |
| x - Chicago Sky | 21 | 13 | .618 | 2 | 13–4 | 8–9 | 14–8 |
| x - Indiana Fever | 20 | 14 | .588 | 3 | 11–6 | 9–8 | 13–9 |
| x - Washington Mystics | 18 | 16 | .529 | 5 | 11–6 | 7–10 | 10–12 |
| e - Atlanta Dream | 15 | 19 | .441 | 8 | 9–8 | 6–11 | 10–12 |
| e - Connecticut Sun | 15 | 19 | .441 | 8 | 8–9 | 7–10 | 6–16 |
Notes
- x – Clinched playoff spot
- e – Eliminated from playoffs
Bracket
| Conference Semi-Finals: Best-of-3 | Conference Finals: Best-of-3 | WNBA Finals: Best-of-5 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| E1 | New York | 83 | 86 | 79 | ||||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Washington | 86 | 68 | 74 | ||||||||||||||||||
| E1 | New York | 84 | 64 | 51 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Indiana | 67 | 70 | 66 | ||||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Chicago | 77 | 82 | 89 | ||||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Indiana | 72 | 89 | 100 | ||||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Indiana | 75 | 71 | 77 | 75 | 52 | ||||||||||||||||
| W1 | Minnesota | 69 | 77 | 80 | 69 | 69 | ||||||||||||||||
| W1 | Minnesota | 67 | 71 | 91 | ||||||||||||||||||
| W4 | Los Angeles | 65 | 81 | 80 | ||||||||||||||||||
| W1 | Minnesota | 67 | 72 | — | ||||||||||||||||||
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Phoenix | 60 | 71 | — | ||||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Phoenix | 88 | 91 | — | ||||||||||||||||||
| W3 | Tulsa | 55 | 67 | — | ||||||||||||||||||
- Bold – Series winner
- Italics – Team with home-court advantage
Statistics
| Legend | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | RPG | Rebounds per game |
| APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game | BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage | TO | Turnovers per game |
| PF | Fouls per game | Team leader | League leader | ||||
Regular season
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PF | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tamika Catchings | 30 | 30 | 26.6 | .382 | .295 | .868 | 7.1 | 2.2 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 1.7 | 2.5 | 13.1 |
| Shenise Johnson | 31 | 27 | 26.2 | .467 | .413 | .805 | 4.9 | 2.4 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 10.9 |
| Marissa Coleman | 34 | 34 | 24.8 | .384 | .336 | .747 | 3.5 | 1.6 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 10.4 |
| Shavonte Zellous | 23 | 1 | 22.2 | .379 | .241 | .771 | 2.3 | 1.9 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 1.2 | 3.0 | 8.4 |
| Lynetta Kizer | 33 | 14 | 17.9 | .491 | .000 | .879 | 3.5 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 1.4 | 2.8 | 8.3 |
| Briann January | 29 | 29 | 27.0 | .426 | .431 | .845 | 1.8 | 3.4 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 8.1 |
| Natalie Achonwa | 28 | 17 | 17.3 | .550 | — | .746 | 3.5 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.3 | 2.1 | 8.0 |
| Layshia Clarendon | 29 | 12 | 20.8 | .445 | .406 | .765 | 2.7 | 2.0 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 1.6 | 2.0 | 6.7 |
| Maggie Lucas | 30 | 0 | 15.0 | .372 | .373 | .838 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 1.4 | 5.7 |
| Natasha Howard | 30 | 2 | 11.4 | .379 | .000 | .721 | 2.6 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 2.0 | 4.2 |
| Erlana Larkins | 21 | 3 | 16.8 | .407 | — | .684 | 4.2 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 1.6 | 3.5 |
| Jeanette Pohlen | 26 | 1 | 10.0 | .404 | .395 | .750 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 2.4 |
| Briana Butler ‡ | 3 | 0 | 7.7 | .200 | .000 | — | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.7 |
‡Waived/Released during the season
†Traded during the season
≠Acquired during the season
Playoffs
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PF | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tamika Catchings | 11 | 11 | 32.6 | .433 | .469 | .857 | 6.9 | 2.6 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 2.6 | 2.5 | 16.3 |
| Shenise Johnson | 11 | 11 | 30.5 | .500 | .286 | .933 | 4.5 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 12.4 |
| Marissa Coleman | 11 | 11 | 29.0 | .403 | .412 | .700 | 2.5 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 2.1 | 11.9 |
| Briann January | 11 | 11 | 32.2 | .407 | .286 | .933 | 2.3 | 5.0 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 2.7 | 2.5 | 11.3 |
| Shavonte Zellous | 11 | 0 | 21.5 | .438 | .308 | .800 | 2.4 | 1.9 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 1.3 | 2.6 | 7.6 |
| Erlana Larkins | 11 | 10 | 28.3 | .569 | — | .813 | 7.2 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 1.8 | 2.7 | 7.2 |
| Lynetta Kizer | 9 | 0 | 8.9 | .414 | — | .750 | 2.4 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 3.0 |
| Natasha Howard | 9 | 0 | 7.1 | .917 | — | 1.000 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 2.8 |
| Natalie Achonwa | 6 | 1 | 7.0 | .267 | — | .500 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 1.8 |
| Layshia Clarendon | 9 | 0 | 6.1 | .500 | .000 | 1.000 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 1.3 |
| Maggie Lucas | 5 | 0 | 3.8 | .667 | 1.000 | 1.000 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 1.2 |
| Jeanette Pohlen | 6 | 0 | 4.5 | .000 | .000 | — | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
Awards and honors
| Recipient | Award | Date awarded | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natalie Achonwa | Rookie of the Month – June | July 6 | [28] |
| WNBA All-Rookie Team | September 24 | [29] | |
| Tamika Catchings | Eastern Conference Player of the Week | July 6 | [30] |
| WNBA All-Star Starter | July 14 | [31] | |
| ESPN Sports Humanitarian of the Year | July 15 | [32] | |
| WNBA All-Defensive First Team | September 27 | [33] | |
| All-WNBA Second Team | October 8 | [34] | |
| Marissa Coleman | WNBA All-Star Reserve | July 21 | [35] |
| Briann January | WNBA Cares Community Assist Award – August | September 11 | [36] |
| WNBA All-Defensive First Team | September 27 | [33] | |
| Jeanette Pohlen | WNBA Cares Community Assist Award – June | June 26 | [37] |