The energy was palpable in Gainbridge Fieldhouse Tuesday night as St. Thomas native Aliyah Boston helped lead the Indiana Fever to a dominant 77-60 homecourt victory over the Atlanta Dream in Game 2 of their playoff series.
The repeat WNBA All-Star received this text message from her mother, Cleone Boston, at halftime: “No matter what it looks like, little is much when God is in it. Play from a place of victory.”
Half an hour later, Boston and the Fever clinched their first playoff win since 2015. The Dream’s defense simply could not contain Boston, who contributed 15 points, five rebounds, and three assists.
Boston’s parents, Cleone and Algernon Boston, take pride in their close-knit family and plan to be in the stands at every playoff game. “Your children are your children forever. They always need your support,” Cleone Boston said. “It’s bigger than basketball.”
The pair attended Game 1 in Atlanta, cheered courtside in Indiana at Game 2, then headed back to Atlanta for Thursday night’s Game 3.
Algernon Boston brings both emotional and technical support to his daughter’s career. After Tuesday’s victory, Boston and her father stayed up late to rewatch and analyze the Fever’s performance.
“She’d never do that with me,” Cleone Boston laughed. “Her father understands everything basketball. He can just feel her questions and frustrations, and he’ll let her talk through it and break everything down with her.”
The landmark win erased the memory of last year’s heartbreaking playoff elimination — an 87-81 loss to the Connecticut Sun in Game 2.
“This was super big for us,” Boston said in a postgame interview alongside Head Coach Stephanie White and teammate Kelsey Mitchell. “Our backs were definitely against the wall in this. We know that we’ve just been through so much this season that coming out with this win, and then giving ourselves another chance in Game 3, emotions are high.”
Despite the excitement, Cleone Boston says her daughter is approaching Game 3 “levelheaded.” “Aliyah lives by not getting too high in the highs or too low in the lows, a lesson she learned from her college coach, Dawn Staley.”
For the Fever, it was about more than ending a nearly 10-year playoff victory drought. Boston reflected, “I just thank God for keeping our team together through everything, even with the injuries. We’ve stayed strong, leaned on each other, and now we’re excited for the chance to keep moving forward.”
Aliyah Boston and the Indiana Fever will play Game 3 versus the Atlanta Dream at Gateway Center Arena in College Park, Georgia, on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. AST. Fans can follow the action by tuning in to ESPN2.
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