INDIANAPOLIS — Tamika Catchings had 22 points and 11 rebounds to help theIndiana Fever beat the Detroit Shock 75-65 on Friday night in Game 1 of theEastern Conference Finals.

The win puts the Fever one win away from their first trip to the Finals.

Catchings set a franchise record with her fourth consecutive double-double.She is averaging 20.3 points and 14.3 rebounds in the playoffs.

Tamika Whitmore scored 18 points for the Fever and Tammy Sutton-Brown, theAll-Star who all but disappeared in the first round of the playoffs, added 11points, eight rebounds and six blocks for Indiana.

Plenette Pierson led Detroit with 19 points and 10 rebounds and Cheryl Fordadded 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Shock.

Indiana outscored Detroit 26-8 from the free-throw line.

Detroit beat Indiana 2-0 in the first round of of last year’s playoffs onthe way to its second championship in four years. Now the Shock must win Sundayin Detroit to have a chance to repeat.

The Fever got into the bonus with more than six minutes left in the fourthquarter on a shot by Anna DeForge. She completed the three-point play to giveIndiana a 64-57 lead.

Detroit cut the lead to 66-63 on a basket by Pierson before Whitmore went towork again.

First, she scored after a spin to the baseline to make it 68-63. Then,Pierson blocked Whitmore’s mid-range jumper, but the ball bounced right back toher, and she drained the shot to make the lead 70-63 with 1:41 to go.

Detroit’s bench was called for a technical foul, and Catchings made the freethrow to make it a 71-63 game. Tully Bevilaqua followed that with a 3-pointerwith 1:02 left.

Indiana shot 20 percent in the first quarter, but still led 15-13 after 10minutes.

The Fever led 33-31 at halftime. Whitmore shot 5-for-8 from the field in thefirst half, but her teammates shot 5-for-30.