INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Pure pandemonium erupted in Gainbridge Fieldhouse Tuesday night as the Indiana Fever dominated the Atlanta Dream, 77-60, for its first playoff win in 10 years.

Indiana turned the Dream into a nightmare, allowing Atlanta just 60 points which is 24 below their regular season average.

The combination of relentless, aggressive defense plus some great shooting by the Fever secured this win.

“Our aggressiveness, our attention to detail, our ability to contest without fouling, to be disciplined in that area, I thought was huge,” Fever head coach Stephanie White said. “We played good enough defense down (in Atlanta for Game 1) and our offense just couldn’t get going, and we were able to get it going on both sides tonight.”

Emotions running high for the Fever postgame, especially after everything the team had to overcome just to get to the postseason this year.

“I just continue to just be so proud of this group and the resilience, their toughness, and their ability to respond,” White said.

“I think our first win here was big for us because we’ve been resilient throughout the course of the year,” veteran guard Kelsey Mitchell said. “It felt really good to see ourselves on top and do something great for a change. When it comes to us being resilient, we have to fight off a lot of ups and downs and backs and forths, so it felt good for us to to come out on top.”

The Fever not only won their first postseason game since 2015, but also did it in front of a home crowd. Tuesday’s Game 2 was the first playoff game the Fever has hosted since 2016.

“Everyone was happy. The vibes are really great,” Fever center Aliyah Boston said. “This was super big for us. Our backs were definitely against the wall in this, and we know that we’ve just been through so much this season that coming out with this win and giving ourselves another chance in Game 3, motions are high.”

The Fever now travel back to Atlanta for a winner-take-all Game 3 Thursday. The last time Indiana won a playoff series was 2015 – the same year they made it to the WNBA Finals.

Tip-off Thursday is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

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