The 2016 WNBA season was the 17th season for the Indiana Fever of the Women's National Basketball Association. The season tipped off on May 1.[1]
The Fever began the season slowly, losing their opening game. They won the next two games before losing their final two games in May to finish the month with a 2–3 record. In June, the team continued to struggle to find some consistency. They won their first game, but lost the next. After defeating Connecticut, they went on a three game losing streak. The streak ended with a win at San Antonio, but that was followed by an overtime loss to New York. The Fever won their last two games of the month and finished 5–6 in June. The team lost their first two games in July before winning the next two. A loss to Connecticut prevented a winning streak from developing. However, they won their final three games of the month going into the Olympic break. The streak included a ten-point win over Los Angeles. The Fever got off to a slow start after the break, losing their only two games in August, and not managing to score more than 70 points in either. They won their opening game of September, before losing in Los Angeles. They then went on a three game winning streak, which was followed by two losses. They won their final game of the season against Dallas to finish September 5–3.
The Fever finished with a record of 17–17, which placed them third in the Eastern Conference and fifth overall. As the fifth-seed in the 2016 WNBA Playoffs, they hosted the eighth-seed Phoenix Mercury in the First Round. The Fever lost 78–89 to end their season.
See also: 2016 WNBA draft.
The Fever made three selections in the 2016 WNBA Entry Draft in Uncasville, Connecticut:
| Round | Pick | Player | Nationality | WNBA Team | School/Team/Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | Tiffany Mitchell | Indiana Fever | South Carolina | |
| 2 | 21 | Brene Moseley | Indiana Fever | Maryland | |
| 3 | 29 | Julie Allemand | Indiana Fever | Castors Braine | |
| Date | Transaction | |
|---|---|---|
| February 1 | Re-Signed Shenise Johnson and Lynetta Kizer[2] | |
| February 2 | The Fever acquired Natasha Howard from the Minnesota Lynx in exchange for Devereaux Peters[3] | |
| May 10 | The Fever acquired the 22nd overall pick in the 2017 WNBA draft from the Atlanta Dream in exchange for Layshia Clarendon[4] | |
| May 24 | Head Coach Stephanie White announced that she would finish the season and then leave the team[5] |
|- bgcolor="bbffbb"| 1 || May 1, 2016
1:00 pm || Dallas || W 108–90 || Maggie Lucas (22) || Natalie Achonwa (8) || 6 players (2) || Bankers Life Fieldhouse
6,214 || 1–0|- bgcolor="bbffbb"| 2 || May 6, 2016
11:30 am || @ Washington || W 89–69 || Tamika Catchings (16) || Mitchell, Taylor (6) || Devereaux Peters (5) || Verizon Center
2,072 || 2–0
|-style="background:#fcc;"| 1 || May 14, 2016
6:00 pm || Dallas || L 79–90 || Tiffany Mitchell (18) || Erlana Larkins (13) || Erlana Larkins (4) || Bankers Life Fieldhouse
8,569 || 0–1|- bgcolor="bbffbb"| 2 || May 18, 2016
7:00 pm || Phoenix || W 97–93 || Johnson, Wheeler (16) || Erlana Larkins (10) || Shenise Johnson (7) || Bankers Life Fieldhouse
6,749 || 1–1|-bgcolor="bbffbb"| 3 || May 20, 2016
7:00 pm || Atlanta || W 94–85 || Tamika Catchings (14) || Shenise Johnson (7) || Brene Moseley (6) || Bankers Life Fieldhouse
7,608|| 2–1|-style="background:#fcc;"| 4 || May 27, 2016
8:00 pm || @ Minnesota || L 71–74 || Tiffany Mitchell (16) || Coleman, Larkins (6) || Tiffany Mitchell (4) || Target Center
7,503 || 2–2|-style="background:#fcc;"| 5 || May 29, 2016
3:00 pm || @ Atlanta || L 74–76 || Erica Wheeler (18) || Achonwa, Larkins (8) || Erica Wheeler (7) || Philips Arena
5,233 || 2–3|-bgcolor="bbffbb"| 6 || June 1, 2016
7:00 pm || Seattle || W 85–75 || Lynetta Kizer (20) || Marissa Coleman (7) || Catchings, January, Moseley (3) || Bankers Life Fieldhouse
6,721 || 3–3|-style="background:#fcc;"| 7 || June 3, 2016
7:30 pm || @ New York || L 59–91 || Tiffany Mitchell (11) || Erlana Larkins (7) || Briann January (3) || Madison Square Garden
8,566 || 3–4|-bgcolor="bbffbb"| 8 || June 5, 2016
3:00 pm || @ Connecticut || W 88–77 || Tiffany Mitchell (21) || Erlana Larkins (10) || Briann January (5) || Mohegan Sun Arena
5,346 || 4–4|-style="background:#fcc;"| 9 || June 10, 2016
7:00 pm || Chicago || L 64–73 || Briann January (17) || Erlana Larkins (9) || Marissa Coleman (5) || Bankers Life Fieldhouse
7,533 || 4-5|-style="background:#fcc;"| 10 || June 12, 2016
6:00 pm || Seattle || L 88–90 || Tamika Catchings (27) || Tamika Catchings (6) || Marissa Coleman (3) || Bankers Life Fieldhouse
6,724 || 4–6|-style="background:#fcc;"| 11 || June 14, 2016
8:00 pm || @ Minnesota || L 63–87 || Erlana Larkins (12) || Erlana Larkins (9) || Briann January (4) || Target Center
7,623 || 4–7|-bgcolor="bbffbb"| 12 || June 17, 2016
8:00 pm || @ San Antonio || W 84–75 || Tamika Catchings (23) || Erlana Larkins (8) || Briann January (8) || AT&T Center
6,107 || 5–7|-style="background:#fcc;"| 13 || June 19, 2016
2:00 pm || New York || L 75–78 (OT) || Tamika Catchings (23) || Erlana Larkins (15) || Briann January (5) || Bankers Life Fieldhouse
7,440 || 5–8|-style="background:#fcc;"| 14 || June 22
7:00 pm || @ Washington || L 62–76 || Lynetta Kizer (18) || Kizer, Peters (7) || Catchings, January (4) || Verizon Center
4,430 || 5–9|-bgcolor="bbffbb"| 15 || June 25
8:30 pm || @ Dallas || W 92–87 || Erlana Larkins (19) || Erlana Larkins (7) || Briann January (7) || College Park Center
5,206 || 6–9|-bgcolor="bbffbb"| 16 || June 29
12:30 pm || @ Chicago || W 95–83 || Tamika Catchings (26) || Erlana Larkins (9) || Erica Wheeler (9) || Allstate Arena
11,892 || 7–9|-style="background:#fcc;"| 17 || July 1, 2016
7:00 pm || San Antonio || L 85–87 (OT) || Erlana Larkins (16) || Erlana Larkins (17) || Briann January (7) || Bankers Life Fieldhouse
7,519 || 7–10|-style="background:#fcc;"| 18 || July 6, 2016
10:30 pm || @ Los Angeles || L 88–94 || Tiffany Mitchell (20) || Kizer, Wheeler (4) || Erica Wheeler (7) || Staples Center
8,224 || 7–11|-bgcolor="bbffbb"| 19 || July 8, 2016
10:00 pm || @ Phoenix || W 78–60 || January, Larkins (13) || Erlana Larkins (10) || January, Mitchell, Johnson (3) || US Airways Center
10,371 || 8–11|-bgcolor="bbffbb"| 20 || July 10, 2016
7:00 pm || @ Seattle || W 93–82 || Shenise Johnson (18) || Erlana Larkins (7) || Briann January (7) || KeyArena
5,975 || 9–11|-style="background:#fcc;"| 21 || July 13, 2016
12:00 pm || Connecticut || W 64–86 || Lynetta Kizer (18) || Tamika Catchings (6) || Briann January (5) || Bankers Life Fieldhouse
12,272 || 9–12|-bgcolor="bbffbb"| 22 || July 15, 2016
7:00 pm || Atlanta || W 78–72 || Catchings, Kizer (18) || Erlana Larkins (11) || Briann January (6) || Bankers Life Fieldhouse
8,612 || 10–12|-bgcolor="bbffbb"| 23 || July 19, 2016
8:00 pm || Los Angeles || W 92–82 || Tamika Catchings (23) || Coleman, Kizer (5) || Briann January (9) || Bankers Life Fieldhouse
7,269 || 11–12|-bgcolor="bbffbb"| 24 || July 21, 2016
11:00 am || @ New York || W 82–70 || Lynetta Kizer (21) || Tamika Catchings (8) || Shenise Johnson (7) || Madison Square Garden
11,253 || 12–12|-style="background:#fcc;"| 25 || August 27, 2016
7:00 pm || Washington || L 69–92 || Achonwa, Catchings, Larkins (12) || Shenise Johnson (9) || Briann January (7) || Bankers Life Fieldhouse
8,081 || 12–13|-style="background:#fcc;"| 26 || August 30, 2016
7:00 pm || Phoenix || L 65–79 || Erlana Larkins (12) || Erlana Larkins (8) || Briann January (4) || Bankers Life Fieldhouse
7,250 || 12-14|-bgcolor="bbffbb"| 27 || September 1, 2016
7:00 pm || New York || W 98–77 || Shenise Johnson (21) || Tamika Catchings (9) || Catchings, Larkins, Wheeler (4) || Bankers Life Fieldhouse
6,524 || 13–14|-style="background:#fcc;"| 28 || September 4, 2016
7:00 pm || @ Los Angeles || L 81–88 || Erica Wheeler - 20 || Erlana Larkins - 7 || Briann January (5) || Staples Center
11,332 || 13–15|-bgcolor="bbffbb"| 29 || September 6, 2016
8:00 pm || @ San Antonio || W 71–69 || Lynetta Kizer (15) || Catchings, Coleman (8) || Coleman, January, Mitchell 2 || AT&T Center
5,838 || 14–15|-bgcolor="bbffbb"| 30 || September 9, 2016
7:00 pm || Chicago || W 95–88 || Briann January (20) || Tamika Catchings (8) || Briann January (6) || Bankers Life Fieldhouse
10,533 || 15–15|-bgcolor="bbffbb"| 31 || September 11, 2016
4:00 pm || @ Washington || W 80–73 || Kizer, Wheeler (17) || Marissa Coleman (7) || Briann January (4) || Verizon Center
6,542 || 16–15|-style="background:#fcc;"| 32 || September 13, 2016
7:00 pm || @ Connecticut || L 87–89 || Shenise Johnson (23) || Coleman, Kizer (8) || Tamika Catchings (4) || Mohegan Sun Arena
4,407 || 16–16|-style="background:#fcc;"| 33 || September 16, 2016
7:00 pm || Minnesota || L 75–82 || Marissa Coleman (19) || Erlana Larkins (6) || Erlana Larkins (4) || Bankers Life Fieldhouse
8,663 || 16–17|-bgcolor="bbffbb"| 34 || September 18, 2016
4:00 pm || Dallas || W 83–60 || Catchings, Kizer (16) || Erlana Larkins (9) || Briann January (8) || Bankers Life Fieldhouse
17,704 || 17–17
|- style="background:#fcc;"| 1 || September 21, 2016
6:00 p.m. || Phoenix || L 89–78 || Catchings, Coleman (13) || Tamika Catchings (10) || Briann January (9) || Bankers Life Fieldhouse
6,282 || 0–1
The Fever qualified for the 2016 playoffs with the 5th best season record in the WNBA. The Fever would lose to the Phoenix Mercury in the first round, single-elimination game.
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tamika Catchings | 34 | 34 | 24.8 | 43.3% | 35.0% | 86.2% | 4.8 | 1.9 | 1.8 | 0.3 | 12.7 | |
| Shenise Johnson | 29 | 10 | 22.4 | 41.0% | 35.9% | 93.8% | 3.5 | 2.1 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 9.8 | |
| Briann January | 29 | 27 | 28.1 | 40.1% | 39.2% | 87.5% | 1.8 | 4.7 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 9.7 | |
| Lynetta Kizer | 33 | 12 | 17.2 | 55.6% | 0.0% | 80.0% | 3.2 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 9.6 | |
| Tiffany Mitchell | 34 | 8 | 20.0 | 36.1% | 29.4% | 9.11% | 1.7 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 8.6 | |
| Erica Wheeler | 34 | 25 | 23.9 | 41.8% | 29.8% | 83.3% | 2.1 | 2.8 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 8.4 | |
| Erlana Larkins | 33 | 33 | 26.7 | 63.9% | — | 88.4% | 7.4 | 2.1 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 8.3 | |
| Marissa Coleman | 32 | 21 | 24.4 | 34.6% | 26.8% | 75.3% | 3.3 | 2.0 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 8.3 | |
| Maggie Lucas | 4 | 0 | 13.8 | 52.4% | 20.0% | 100% | 2.0 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 7.8 | |
| Devereaux Peters | 30 | 0 | 14.7 | 54.9% | 33.3% | 55.6% | 3.0 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 5.2 | |
| Natalie Achonwa | 24 | 0 | 8.1 | 54.5% | — | 70.0% | 2.0 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 3.6 | |
| Brene Moseley | 8 | 0 | 9.6 | 26.1% | 20.0% | 40.0% | 0.4 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 1.9 | |
| Jeanette Pohlen-Mavunga | 12 | 0 | 4.1 | 54.5% | 50.0% | 100% | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.3 |
| Recipient | Award | Date awarded | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tamika Catchings | Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award | September 21 | [6] |
| Tiffany Mitchell | WNBA All-Rookie Team | September 29 | [7] |
| Briann January | WNBA All-Defensive First Team | September 30 | [8] |
| Tamika Catchings | WNBA All-Defensive Second Team | September 30 |