Stephanie White Calls Out Familiar Fever Weakness After Loss to Dream

Fouls have been an issue for the Fever all season long.

Jun 11, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White in the first half against the Chicago Sky at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The Indiana Fever and Atlanta Dream are now tied 1-1 in the season series. Strong performances from everyone in the starting lineup led the Dream past impressive scoring nights from the Fever’s big three and to a 108-101 victory. 

Dream head coach Karl Smesko credited his team’s ability to learn from the last matchup and play at a much better pace and with more intensity on both ends of the floor after the game. Atlanta survived foul trouble from all starters except for Rhyne Howard and benefited greatly from a similar issue on the Fever’s side. The Dream got to the free-throw line for 35 attempts—six more than the Fever’s 29–and Stephanie White called out her team’s many fouls as one of the reasons for the loss. 

“We’ve got to be able to guard one-on-one, and, more than anything, we gotta defend without fouling,” White said in the postgame media availability, per the Fever’s YouTube channel. “We cannot continue to let people live in the 20s and 30s in terms of free-throw attempts. We just got to be better.”

The Dream’s 35 free-throw attempts were the second-most the Fever gave up in a loss this season. 

Foul trouble has been an issue for the Fever all season long

May 28, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Indiana Fever center-forward Aliyah Boston (7) and guard Caitlin Clark (22) walk off the court after the buzzer sounds the fourth quarter against the Golden State Valkyries at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images | David Gonzales-Imagn Images

The Fever gave up at least 20 free-throw attempts in all of their six losses, including 40 to the New York Liberty earlier this month. As a team, Indiana averages the second-most personal fouls per game in the WNBA. The only team to foul more is the Connecticut Sun. 

As a result of all those fouls, the Fever also average the second-most opponent free-throw attempts per game, sending players to the line 25.7 times per contest. Their opponents make an average of 20.3 of those shots. That’s a lot of easy points to give up per game. 

The main culprits tend to be Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston. Both regularly deal with foul trouble and average 3.6 fouls per game each. Clark has been whistled for 51 total fouls so far this season, tying her with Angel Reese for the fifth-most in the W. Boston is close behind with 50 total fouls, tying Kamilla Cardoso and Natasha Cloud for the sixth-most. 

Clark also picked up five fouls against the Dream and had to sit at a critical time in the fourth since White had already lost a challenge on a foul call on Sophie Cunningham earlier in the game. Boston, meanwhile, was only whistled for three fouls, but Lexie Hull picked up four.

Players and coaches alike have long lamented the physicality in the WNBA. So, the league formed a task force and made some changes to combat the physicality—something Clark was actually pleased with earlier this season. There’s a new emphasis on freedom of movement, among other things, which has led to a general uptick in fouls all across the league. It has been a big adjustment and has caused some frustration among players and coaches, especially early in the season.