The Indiana Fever will try to stay undefeated on their home court when they host the Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Indiana (3-4) has won all three of its home games this season but is winless on the road. The Fever's most recent home defeat came on Sept. 16, 2016, against the Minnesota Lynx.
"Maybe the rims are a little bigger at home," Fever coach Pokey Chatman joked when asked about it by the team's official website. "I think it goes back to comfort, energy from the crowd, just the whole aura of a home game. When you arrive, (it's) your same routine, you can control the elements."
Phoenix (4-3) will provide a difficult challenge for the Fever regardless of the venue. The Mercury are 2-1 on the road this season with wins at San Antonio and Chicago.
The matchup marks the second meeting of the season between the teams. Three weeks ago, Phoenix rolled to an 85-62 win over Indiana at Talking Stick Resort Arena.
Mercury center Brittney Griner led all scorers with 32 points on 13-for-15 shooting in that game. Griner also pulled down 10 rebounds and blocked three shots in 30 minutes against the Fever.
Indiana has not been the only team that has struggled to contain Griner, a 6-foot-8 Baylor alum who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 WNBA draft. In seven games this season, Griner is averaging 22.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game.
"B.G. impacts the game," Mercury coach Sandy Brondello told the team's official website this week. "That's the kind of player that she is."
The Mercury feature another legend, guard Diana Taurasi. She needs 73 points to set the WNBA's all-time scoring record.
In the teams' first meeting May 17, the Fever were led in scoring by forward Candice Dupree with 14 points in 28 minutes. Guard Tiffany Mitchell and center Natalie Achonwa added 11 points apiece off the bench in the 23-point loss.
Indiana has proved already this season that an ugly, early-season loss does not guarantee a similar result in the second game. The Fever lost by 27 points on the road to the Dallas Wings but held on for a 91-85 victory over the Wings at home on Saturday night.
As a team, Indiana is scoring an average of 77.3 points per game and allowing 87.0 points per game this season. The Fever are shooting 43.5 percent from the field and 30.7 percent from 3-point range.
Phoenix is averaging 80.9 points per game and allowing 73.6 points per game this season. The Mercury are shooting 42.2 percent from the field and 33.1 percent from beyond the arc.
