Grace Berger Scores Double-Digit Points for Second Straight Game, Indiana Fever Win 83-80

Former Indiana women's basketball player Grace Berger scored 12 points in a win for the Indiana Fever over the Atlanta Dream on Sunday. It was Berger's second straight double-digit scoring game.

Another day, another great performance from Grace Berger. 

The former Indiana women's basketball superstar scored 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting in the Indiana Fever's 83-80 win over the Atlanta Dream. It was both the second straight win for the team, and the second straight game in which Berger reached double figures in the points column, having scored 14 points against the Seattle Storm on Thursday. 

Berger also finished the game with three assists, two rebounds and a steal in 26 minutes of play. 

pic.twitter.com/RPBwE0Hfa0

— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) August 27, 2023

It was a crucial win for the Fever, as a loss would have officially knocked the team out of WNBA playoff contention. Instead, Berger and Co. pulled out a clutch, come from behind victory to keep their postseason hopes alive. 

The Fever trailed the Dream 76-66 with under three minutes left in the game, when back-to-back jumpers from Berger sparked a 17-4 run for Indiana over the final 150 seconds of game time. 

The Indiana Hoosiers' all-time winningest basketball player first hit a turnaround, and-one jump shot for her first bucket. She missed her free throw, but quickly gathered her own miss for a rebound, and put it back up and in for a four-point possession. 

The Indiana Fever secured a clutch 83-80 win today, and this four-point possession from #IUWBB's Grace Berger was a big reason why.

After hitting a turnaround And-One, she got her rebound off the missed FT and put it back in to spark a 17-4 run to end the game. pic.twitter.com/f8PZAMnGX8

— Dan Olinger (@dan_olinger) August 28, 2023

Berger also shot 1-for-2 from three during the win over Atlanta, bringing her season total from behind the arc to 15-for-31. It's really incredible to shoot 48.4% from three during your rookie season in the WNBA, no matter how low the shooting volume might be. 

Both IU fans and Fever-specific supporters have been clamoring for Berger to receive more minutes all summer. After hardly playing during the first half of her rookie season, Berger has established herself as one of the more important players in coach Christie Sides' rotation.

Here's an updated look at how Berger's game-by-game minutes load has progressed:

Graph of Grace Berger's minutes played during the 2023 WNBA season, created by HoosiersNow.com Reporter Daniel Olinger

With a season record of 11-24, it's unlikely that the Fever catch the Los Angeles Sparks in eighth place and reach the 2023 WNBA playoffs, even though the win on Sunday kept a sliver of hope alive. 

For all intensive purposes, Berger has just five games left in her WNBA rookie season, which has turned out to be a great success. The Indiana Fever play their next game at home in Indianapolis on Friday, Sept. 1, when the Dallas Wings visit Gainbridge Fieldhouse. 

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