The Indiana Fever’s injury woes continued after guard Sophie Cunningham was ruled out for rest of the season Tuesday because of a right knee injury.
Cunningham was injured in the second quarter of the Fever’s 99-93 overtime win over the host Connecticut Sun on Sunday after teammate Bria Hartley ran into her while making a pass. She was ruled out for the remainder of the game and later diagnosed with an MCL tear, according to multiple media reports.
Indiana (19-16) was playing without star guard Caitlin Clark (right groin) for the 13th straight game. The Fever also lost guards Aari McDonald (foot) and Sydney Colson (knee) earlier this month with season-ending injuries.
To replace Cunningham on the roster, the Fever signed veteran guard Shey Peddy to a seven-day hardship contract and also released rookie guard Kyra Lambert.
Cunningham, who turned 29 on Saturday, averaged 8.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 25.2 minutes in 30 games (13 starts) in her first season with the Fever. She gained national attention earlier this season when she came to Clark’s defense during an in-game altercation.
Cunningham played her first six seasons in the WNBA with the Phoenix Mercury (2019-24) and averaged 7.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 22.8 minutes in 182 regular-season games (92 starts). Cunningham also averaged 5.8 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 19.5 minutes in 15 playoff games (six starts) for Phoenix.
The Mercury selected Cunningham in the second round (13th overall) in the 2019 WNBA Draft out of Missouri. Indiana acquired her as part of a 10-team trade on Feb. 2.
Peddy, 36, played in six games (five starts) earlier this season for the Los Angeles Sparks on a hardship contract and averaged 5.0 points, 2.7 assists and 23.0 minutes. For her career, Peddy has averaged 5.9 points, 2.3 assists and 18.7 minutes in 122 regular-season games (34 starts) for the Washington Mystics (2019-20), Mercury (2020-23) and Sparks.
Lambert, 28, appeared in Sunday’s game for Indiana and played the final five seconds.
–Field Level Media
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