Now in her fifth WNBA season, Indiana Fever forward Tamika Catchings has emerged as a truly dominant force. Not only is she the only player in the league leading her team in points (16.7), rebounds (7.8), assists (3.7), steals (2.42) and blocked shots (1.42) per game, she is also the only player ranked in the league’s top 10 in each of those categories.
The basketball world has begun to take notice of her dominance; early balloting for the 2006 All-Star game shows Catchings as the Eastern Conference’s lead vote-getter.
The Mystics know how capable Catchings is of taking over a game. In the teams’ first meeting on June 7, Catchings scored 26 points in guiding the Fever to an 83-70 home win.
“She’s so intense when she plays,” Mystics guard Coco Miller said. “She’s just so talented and she’s incredibly difficult to defend because she plays like a guard but she’s so much taller.”
Coming off of an important win over the Connecticut Sun at home on Sunday, the Mystics aim to extend their unbeaten streak at Verizon Center to eight games with a win over Indiana. The winner of tonight’s game will assume sole possession of third place in the Eastern Conference.
Indiana Fever (8-5) at Washington Mystics (8-5)
Where: Verizon Center
When: Tonight at 7
Radio: WWRC-1260
