Ahead of their game against the Washington Mystics on Monday night, Caitlin Clark had a clear message to her team: We need to solve the lows in our game. The Fever was coming off a heartbreaking 83-75 loss to the New York Liberty, where they held a significant lead but lost it to never recover. But old habits are hard to lose…

Clark’s game-winning 31-foot logo-3 can mask the reality of the 78-76 win, but you cannot ignore it. The team lost a good 17-point lead and allowed the Mystics to catch up to them, pretty much being their own problem. So, as they were heading to their first matchup against the Chicago Sky, Sophie Cunningham had the same ask. Unfortunately, the Fever repeated what they always do, and it unraveled in the 114-106 OT win.

“We were up by 15. We should have never been in that situation. That’s something our team has got to work on. Just like ‘Put the pedal to the metal, step on their necks, don’t let them come back’. But we are in a growing period, and we lost to them,” she said during the latest episode of the Show Me Something podcast.

The Indiana Fever is leading the league in pace. But close second is the Chicago Sky. A matchup between the Eastern Conference rivals was bound to be fiery, but the Fever might as well be shooting themselves in the foot.

Entering the game, the Fever had 77.9% probability to win the game, and they took care of things in the first 10 minutes of the game, scoring 27 points while only allowing 14 points to the visitors. But the Sky soon came back with their pace and grit by their side.

Chicago opened the second half with a 16-7 run to grab its first lead of the night at 54-53. They ended up pouring in 39 points during the third quarter and turning a 19-point deficit into a 79-73 lead entering the fourth. And suddenly, a game that felt over looked a fight for survival.

To give credit where it’s due, the Fever clawed their way back in the fourth quarter and eventually regained control as the game went into OT. Fortunately for them, they listened to what head coach Stephanie White had to say.

“This should be the best quarter you play tonight,” White had told the huddle before the extra period began.

Indeed, that was the best brand of basketball they played the entire night, with a balance of defense, offense, and forcing fouls. But that comeback wasn’t the story here — losing another comfortable lead was. At this point, it is becoming a dangerous pattern for them.

At 7-5, Indiana’s record hardly reflects the expectations that surrounded the franchise entering the season because too many of their games have followed a similar script.

They build a large lead, struggle with mid-game execution, and let their double-digit advantage evaporate. And even when the Fever wins, it often takes far more work than necessary.

Another example of these troubles came earlier this season against the same Washington Mystics.

The Fever stormed out of the gates and knocked down six of their first seven three-point attempts to build a 28-21 first-quarter lead. Everything appeared to be trending in the right direction. But then, again, the offense stalled.

Indiana scored just nine points in the second quarter, which allowed Washington to erase the deficit and take a 41-37 lead into halftime. However, unlike their recent matchup against Chicago and the Mystics, the Fever couldn’t complete the comeback, eventually falling 104-102 in OT.

These are the exact situations Sophie Cunningham wants her team to avoid altogether. Because if this pattern continues to follow the Fever, it becomes increasingly difficult to project just how far they can go this season.

So as Indiana prepares to take on the Connecticut Sun in its next matchup, everyone will be keeping a close eye on whether the Fever can finally put together a complete four-quarter performance.