While the Indiana Fever started the season with a strong showing against the Chicago Sky, one of their newest players, Sophie Cunningham, missed the match after suffering a right ankle injury.
As they take on the Atlanta Dream tonight, the Indiana Fever has confirmed that Cunningham has been ruled out for the match. The guard was making progress and has participated in practices, but it seems like not enough to play.
On Monday, head coach Stephanie White explained that she wanted to take care of the guard. “She’s progressing well, and we see her every day with her movement,” the coach told reporters. “Every day we see her more confident, a little more balanced. I’m sure Sophie [Cunningham] wants to play tomorrow, but she has to go through more tests to see if she will be ready.”
“I want to make sure she’s 100 percent ready,” White said. “We’ve got a lot of games in a short period of time. We need her on the floor, and I don’t want to rush it and have any setbacks, so I will watch how her testing goes today and will see the results,” she added.
: Sophie Cunningham #8 and Lexie Hull #10 of the Indiana Fever warm up (Getty Images)
Cunningham’s long awaited debut could come on Thursday
The guard, who last season averaged over seven points and four rebounds per game, rolled her ankle during a preseason game on May 10. As she is set to miss another match, she could be ready when the Fever take on the Dream at State Farm Arena on May 22.
With Cunningham’s return timeline uncertain, one question for White will be how many minutes Lexie Hull can get. In the first game, Hull played nine minutes against the Sky, but her playing time could change.
