UNCASVILLE, Conn. (WISH) — The Indiana Fever have been thinking about that 24-point loss to the Connecticut Sun for a solid two straight days.

The six-seed Fever got back out on the floor Tuesday for its first practice since Sunday afternoon’s Game 1 loss. Indiana was focused on two things: discipline and defense. The Fever felt like they didn’t play a full 40 minutes and got outpaced by the Sun Sunday.

Inexperience played a bit into that. Sunday was the first ever WNBA playoff game for all but four on the Fever roster. Game 1 provided a lot to learn from and adjust to before Game 2 on Wednesday.

“We know we’re capable of beating this team because we have done it,” WNBA Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark said. “Obviously, they’re really, really good, and we know it will be a challenge, but I don’t think it’s anything that we’re shying away from. I think we just need to embrace the challenge. We know that we maybe didn’t give it our best, and maybe the final score really seems like we did get blown out but we have it to 6 points, we had it to 8 points. It was just we could never get over the hump.”

This playoff series is a full circle moment for the Fever, who tipped off the 2024 season in the Mohegan Sun Casino back in May. Safe to say, the team looks a lot different than it did back then.

“Aw man, I think we could write a book on our 12.” Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell said. “I think that it’s a special group, a special group of people to put in a room and try to go win some games. We do a good job in trying to keep ourselves grounded and held together all year, so I’m proud of our group.”

The Fever finished May with a 1-9 record. They then crawled their way to not just the most wins in recent memory for the Fever, but the first playoff appearance since Tamika Catchings was still on the team in 2016.

“We’ve evolved, in a really, really positive way from that first month,” Fever head coach Christie Sides said. “Even that — you know, playing this team three times in our first 13 games was tough. I mean, this is a team that is extremely experienced and talented.”

The history-breaking continues for the Fever even in the postseason. That Sunday game garnered 1.8 million viewers in the middle of an NFL Sunday. That’s the most viewers for a WNBA game since the 1997 and 1998 Finals games. Clark wasn’t even born when those games took place.

Game 2 tips off at 7:30 p.m. ET Wednesday night. News 8 has your inside look on the road with live pregame and postgame coverage you’ll only see on WISH-TV.