The Fever's Hype Woman Unites Fans and Team for Game 3 Victory

The Hype Woman of the Indiana Fever

With five minutes left in the third quarter, the Atlanta Dream were starting to close in on the Indiana Fever. A layup from Naz Hillmon put Atlanta within three points, and the Fever needed a shift in momentum to regain control. It was the perfect moment for Aerial Powers.

The Fever quickly moved down the court, with Kelsey Mitchell gathering the ball for a 3-pointer. The shot bounced off the rim, but Powers grabbed the offensive rebound and went up for a layup, drawing Hillmon’s fourth foul.

After the foul, Powers sat on the ground, yelling in celebration. The crowd, following her lead, roared to their feet. She jumped up, slapping some of her teammates’ hands and chest-bumping others. She even chest-bumped coach Stephanie White so hard that White’s glasses fell off.

“She does that every time,” White said with a laugh, “and every time, I remember I’m not as young as I used to be.”

Powers has taken on the role of the hype woman since she joined the Fever on August 22. With Caitlin Clark sidelined due to a right groin injury, Powers has become the team's energizer. She pumps her arms into the air to get the crowd involved, screaming in celebration when she draws a foul or makes a tough shot. This energy has spilled over into her teammates and the fans.

“She feeds off so much energy, and she always has a lot of energy,” Aliyah Boston said. “So I think for us, just making sure that we always match that. I love when I see her hype up the crowd. Everyone gets involved. But I think AP, just what she brings to us — that aggression, getting after loose balls — it’s great.”

The crowd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, which numbered an announced 16,682 fans, became a key factor in the game. The third-seeded Atlanta Dream grew frustrated as their shots continued to miss, while the roar of the crowd grew louder as the Fever’s lead expanded. After Powers chest-bumped White, Indiana went on a 7-0 run, and the crowd remained engaged throughout the game, contributing to the Dream’s frustration.

“They packed the house,” said Dream coach Karl Smesko. “They were really loud. That gives them home-court advantage, but it's going to be wherever we go. It's the playoffs. It's going to be packed. It's going to be loud. We have to play through anything that happens in the game, and we've been great on the road all season. Today was kind of just an off day.”

The momentum stayed firmly with Indiana for the rest of the game. By the end of the third quarter, the Fever had built a 15-point lead. They extended it to 23 at one point in the fourth, and the game was effectively decided with more than five minutes remaining in the fourth.

This win was exactly what the Fever needed to regain their rhythm. The victory evened the series, and the Fever will head back to Atlanta for a decisive Game 3 at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. This game will determine which team faces Las Vegas or Seattle in the best-of-five WNBA semifinals.

Indiana will need to carry the momentum from the Gainbridge Fieldhouse crowd to Gateway Center in Atlanta.

“I think it will be a really good challenge for us,” Mitchell said. “Obviously, we want to win the game, and they want to win the game, so I think someone has to lose it and someone has to win. But I think that we take tonight for what it is… it's a big opportunity tonight, but you gotta let it be the moment and let it kind of fuel you for Thursday. But you’ve got to move on.”