INDIANAPOLIS — With loads of star energy within the constructing, the Indiana Fever knocked out the Solar on Wednesday evening at an amped up Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Indiana’s 84-80 win helped the Fever keep away from being swept by the Solar. It was an enormous turnaround for a Fever crew who had misplaced to Connecticut thrice earlier this season, together with as soon as when coach Christie Sides pulled her starters within the second half.

Extra:Fever, Caitlin Clark drawing larger crowds — and greater stars.

‘A totally completely different crew.’Win over Solar exhibits simply how far Fever have come this 12 months

Olympic gold medalists Simone Biles and Gabby Thomas had been within the crowd, as was leisure icon and Indianapolis native David Letterman and Colts QB Anthony Richardson.

The Fever at the moment are 15-16, seventh within the league, solidifying their playoff place.

Listed here are three observations:

Fever come out sizzling towards Solar

Earlier than Wednesday evening, the Fever had 5 video games they’d 50 or extra factors at halftime. All of them had been towards groups they’ve overwhelmed handily all through the season — three towards Atlanta and two towards Phoenix.

Wednesday was the sixth time — towards a crew the Fever had been 0-3 towards coming into the sport. However Indiana is a unique crew from when the groups final met again in June.

After beginning the sport down 8-2, Indiana simply received a deal with on the rating. They shot 50% (9-of-18) from 3-point vary within the first half and led the Solar, the second-best crew within the league, by 9 heading into halftime.

Beforehand, the Fever gained all 5 video games they scored 50+ within the first half.

This time, it was just a little bit tougher. The Fever discovered themselves up simply two factors with one minute left, and the Fever and the Solar had been buying and selling baskets. It was a chippy sport — the Solar are veterans, and they’re skilled in combating for the ball.

The groups traded baskets down the stretch beneath Solar middle Alyssa Thomas turned the ball over with 24 seconds left. Then, Connecticut received to fouling.

Lexie Hull sealed the victory with two free throws with simply seconds left, and the Fever prevented the sweep of the league’s second-best crew.

Lexie Hull will get second begin of season

After beginning within the second half rather than Katie Lou Samuelson on Monday evening, Fever guard Lexie Hull received one other likelihood Wednesday.

Sides mentioned Samuelson took herself out of the sport as a result of she wasn’t feeling nicely Monday evening, then she appeared on the harm report for private causes Wednesday. Samuelson went by warmups and was in the end dominated obtainable however did not play.

And Hull took benefit of the chance. Coming off three straight video games with 20+ minutes, she confirmed why she deserved them Wednesday evening.

Hull was scrappy the whole sport, combating for rebounds and increasing possessions for the Fever. She discovered herself in clutch moments on the offensive finish, and delivered: Caitlin Clark misplaced and regained management of the ball in a single possession, getting the ball to Hull with simply seconds left on the shot clock. Hull, off-balance and one-handed, heaved up a 3-pointer that swished by the web.

Hull ended up going 4-of-5 from 3-point vary for 17 factors, eight rebounds and three assists.

Kelsey Mitchell notches fifth-straight 20+ level sport

With three minutes left within the fourth quarter, Kelsey Mitchell was vast open within the 3-point nook close to Connecticut’s bench. Whether or not it was a defensive miscue for Connecticut or deliberate, Lexie Hull tossed the ball to Mitchell. Swish.

That shot gave the Fever a one-point lead with simply minutes left within the sport. And it gave Mitchell her fifth straight sport with 21+ factors — all of them coming after the Olympic break. She is averaging 26.2 factors because the break, which is each main the Fever and one of many high marks within the league.

Mitchell’s scoring efforts have been paramount for the Fever’s 4-1 document because the break, which incorporates three wins over groups with .500 or higher data.

She completed the sport with 23 factors on 8-of-14 taking pictures.

What number of factors did Caitlin Clark rating towards the Solar?

Clark completed with 19 factors on 7-of-17 taking pictures, in addition to 5 rebounds and 5 assists.

The Dallas Cowboys are signing operating again Dalvin Cook dinner, a four-time Professional Bowl choice, a number of retailers reported Wednesday.

ESPN reported Cook dinner will begin off on the observe squad.

He labored out for the group on Tuesday and can be a part of a reconfigured Cowboys backfield that includes Ezekiel Elliott.

Contract phrases weren’t disclosed.

Cook dinner, 29, has rushed for six,207 yards and 47 touchdowns in 88 NFL video games (73 begins) over seven seasons since being a second-round draft decide by the Minnesota Vikings in 2017. He additionally has 236 receptions for 1,872 yards and 5 scores.

Cook dinner loved 4 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons on the bottom for the Vikings from 2019-22 earlier than shoulder surgical procedure derailed him. He established profession highs of 1,557 speeding yards and 16 scores on the bottom in simply 14 video games (all begins) in 2020.

Minnesota launched him in June 2023, and Cook dinner had a disappointing 15-game run for the New York Jets final season, when he rushed for simply 214 yards earlier than being let go in early January.

The Baltimore Ravens picked up Cook dinner, and he rushed for 23 yards on eight carries throughout a playoff victory over the Houston Texans. He didn’t play within the following week’s loss to the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs within the AFC Championship Recreation.

Tony Pollard led Dallas with 1,005 speeding yards final season. He signed a three-year, $21.75 million free-agent cope with the Tennessee Titans within the offseason.

The Cowboys open the season Sept. 8 on the highway towards the Cleveland Browns.

–Discipline Degree Media

South Korean singer Taeil has left the K-pop band NCT after being accused of an unspecified sexual crime, his label introduced on Wednesday.

The 30-year-old’s company, SM Leisure, launched an announcement on X, saying the NCT member will depart from the boy band after studying he has been “accused in a prison case associated to a sexual crime”.

The label didn’t specify the character of the alleged crime however stated it “recognised the seriousness of the scenario” and determined Taeil, whose authorized identify is Moon Tae-il, can not “proceed his actions with the staff”.

Taeil has not publicly commented on the allegations.

SM Leisure added that he’s absolutely cooperating with the police investigation.

“We are going to present additional statements because the investigation progresses,” the assertion, which was posted in Korean and translated by Related Press, stated.

The Bangbae Police Station in Seoul introduced it was investigating Taeil in relation to a sexual crime, in line with South Korean media.

The BBC was unable to achieve police for remark.

Taeil was a part of NCT, or Neo Tradition Know-how, a globally well-liked South Korean boy band that debuted in 2016.

The group at the moment has over two dozen members divided into a number of subunits, together with NCT 127, NCT Dream, and NCT Want.

Taeil was lately energetic in NCT 127.

On 15 August final yr, Taeil obtained right into a automotive accident in downtown Seoul, in South Korea, whereas travelling on his motorbike.

He quickly suspended his schedules to give attention to remedy and restoration.

Recognized for experimental music spanning numerous genres, NCT has gained worldwide consideration with some releases charting on Billboard lists.

K-pop originated from South Korea and is an amalgamation of pop, R&B and hip-hop.

It has grown into a worldwide phenomenon, notably after the success of the boy band BTS within the late 2010s.

BERLIN (AP) — The suspects within the foiled plot to assault Taylor Swift concert events in Vienna earlier this month sought to kill “tens of 1000’s” of followers earlier than the CIA found intelligence that disrupted the planning and led to arrests, the company’s deputy director stated.

The CIA notified Austrian authorities of the scheme, which allegedly included hyperlinks to the Islamic State group. The intelligence and subsequent arrests finally led to the cancellation of three sold-out Eras Tour reveals, devastating followers who had traveled throughout the globe to see Swift in live performance.

CIA Deputy Director David Cohen addressed the failed plot through the annual Intelligence and Nationwide Safety Summit, held this week in Maryland.

“They had been plotting to kill an enormous quantity — tens of 1000’s of individuals at this live performance, together with I’m certain many Individuals — and had been fairly superior on this,” Cohen stated Wednesday. “The Austrians had been in a position to make these arrests as a result of the company and our companions within the intelligence neighborhood supplied them details about what this ISIS-connected group was planning on doing.”

Austrian officers stated the principle suspect, a 19-year-old Austrian man, was impressed by the Islamic State group. He allegedly deliberate to assault exterior the stadium, the place upwards of 30,000 followers had been anticipated to assemble, with knives or selfmade explosives. One other 65,000 followers had been prone to be contained in the venue. Investigators found chemical substances and technical gadgets throughout a raid of the suspect’s house.

Austria’s inside minister, Gerhard Karner, beforehand stated assist from different intelligence companies was wanted as a result of Austrian investigators, not like some overseas companies, can’t legally monitor textual content messages.

The 19-year-old’s lawyer has stated the allegations had been “overacting at its greatest,” and contended Austrian authorities had been “presenting this exaggeratedly” in an effort to get new surveillance powers.

Swift broke her silence concerning the cancellations final week after her London reveals had concluded.

“Having our Vienna reveals cancelled was devastating,” she wrote in a press release posted to Instagram. “The explanation for the cancellations stuffed me with a brand new sense of concern, and an incredible quantity of guilt as a result of so many individuals had deliberate on coming to these reveals.”

She thanked authorities — “because of them, we had been grieving concert events and never lives,” she wrote — and stated she waited to talk till the European leg of her Eras Tour concluded to prioritize security.

“Let me be very clear: I’m not going to discuss one thing publicly if I feel doing so may provoke those that would need to hurt the followers who come to my reveals,” she wrote.

Live performance organizer Barracuda Music stated it canceled the three-night Vienna run that might have begun Aug. 8 as a result of the arrests made in connection to the conspiracy had been too near showtime.

The principle suspect and a 17-year-old had been taken into custody on Aug. 6, the day earlier than the cancellations had been introduced. A third suspect, 18, was arrested Aug. 8. Their names haven’t been launched in keeping with Austrian privateness guidelines.

The reveals in London, the subsequent cease after Vienna, got here on the heels of a stabbing at a Swift-themed dance class that left three little ladies lifeless within the U.Ok. In a press release issued after the Southport assault, Swift stated she was “simply utterly in shock” and “at a whole loss for learn how to ever convey my sympathies to those households.” Information shops reported that Swift met with a few of the survivors backstage in London.

The Vienna plot additionally drew comparisons to a 2017 assault by a suicide bomber at an Ariana Grande live performance in Manchester, England, that killed 22 folks. The bomb detonated on the finish of Grande’s live performance as 1000’s of younger followers had been leaving, changing into the deadliest extremist assault in the UK lately.

Cohen on Wednesday praised the CIA’s work in stopping the deliberate violence, saying that different counterterrorism “successes” in foiling plots sometimes go unheralded.

“I can inform you inside my company, and I’m certain in others, there have been individuals who thought that was a very good day for Langley,” he stated, referring to the CIA headquarters. “And never simply the Swifties in my workforce.”

The record-smashing tour is on hiatus till the autumn.