Stephanie White Fully on Board With Fever Star’s A’ja Wilson Intentions for the Semifinals

Aliyah Boston did something few defenders manage: she made A’ja Wilson look mortal. In Game 1 of the semifinals, the reigning MVP shot just 6-for-22 as Boston’s relentless presence forced her into uncomfortable spots. Now, Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White is making it clear, she wants more of the same.

Ahead of Game 3, White publicly backed Boston’s defensive blueprint. On the In Case You Missed It podcast, she echoed her star center’s self-described approach of “just trying to be annoying” against Wilson. “We just have to try to keep her off balance and try to make her shots as tough as possible,” White said. “She’s going to do what she does best. There’s a reason she is a four-time MVP of this league.”

That kind of commitment signals a clear game plan: if Boston can disrupt Wilson, the Aces’ entire offense wobbles. Game 1 proved it, when defended by Boston, Wilson managed just 3-for-12 shooting, and Las Vegas stumbled to 40.8% from the floor. By contrast, when Wilson dominated in Game 2 with a 25-point performance, the Aces’ efficiency spiked to 53.8%.

Aug 31, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White before the game against the Golden State Valkyries at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

For this to happen in Game 3, Aliyah Boston will have to conjure up the same level of performance yet again. In Game 1, when defended by Aliyah Boston, A’ja Wilson was only 3-12 from the floor. Moreover, except for Jackie Young and Dana Evans, no other Aces player was able to shoot over 50% from the floor (the entire team scored 40.8). Similarly, in Game 2, when A’ja Wilson was dominating, the team’s shooting percentage went up to 53.8%.

Sure, the team would like her to score more as well. Since the last few games of the regular season, she has struggled to score more than 15 points. There have been some concerns from the analysts as well, but for this series at least, the Indiana Fever will be okay with a reduced offensive contribution, provided her defense can help in stopping A’ja Wilson. Her job might become a little easier over the next two games as the Indiana Fever are playing at home.

Will the Indiana Fever’s home advantage be enough to stop A’ja Wilson?

The Indiana Fever crowd is famous around the league for being extra vocal. They are the true embodiment of a 6th player. But will that advantage be enough to stop a player who’s seen and done it all in the league? Well, the good news for the Indiana Fever is that this season, they are 2-0 against the Aces when it comes to the games at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Also, one of those games was a 17-point blowout loss for the Aces.

Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

Although the Fever has played just one playoff game at home, they won that comfortably against the Atlanta Dream. The Fever fans will have an important job to play. While it may seem like a team with a championship DNA will have a lot of experience playing in a hostile environment, there are still factors that can go against you when playing in an arena with an electric atmosphere, such as Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

It will be interesting to see if the Indiana Fever players can feed off of their fans and pull off yet another miracle win of the season. And with the way they have pulled miracles after miracles after this year, there’s no doubt as to why there can’t be another one.

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