The New York Liberty entered Gainbridge Fieldhouse Saturday afternoon determined to keep its record perfect. However, Caitlin Clark led her Indiana Fever squad to dethrone the final undefeated team in the WNBA, 102-88.
After missing the last five games with a quad strain, the superstar sophomore guard might have looked slightly more tired than her usual self, but she didn’t miss a beat, scoring 32 points with nine assists and eight rebounds.
She was responsible for 25 of the Fever’s 53 first-half points, setting a career-high for points in any half, on 6-of-9 shooting from three-point range.
While it was a one-woman show for Indiana, it was a group effort for the Liberty. The usual leaders, Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart, dropped 17 and 14 points in the first half, respectively. They had to do so without Jonquel Jones, who led the Liberty in points against the Fever last month and was on the bench with an ankle injury.
The third quarter was a dark spot last time New York made a trip to Indiana, and the same story unfolded this time around. The Fever had momentum on their side after being the first team to take a halftime lead against the Liberty this season, and showed their dominance with a 19-0 run.
Ionescu took the reins and pulled her struggling team to within nine at 80-71 entering the final 10 minutes, after being down by as many as 16 points. The guard led all scorers with a season-high 34 points and added four assists, but it wasn’t enough as New York couldn’t find momentum.
No one in a Liberty jersey outside of Ionescu could get going offensively. Nyara Sabally contributed 10 points in the first half but went cold in the second. While Marine Johannes provided a spark off the bench, it didn’t make up for starters Natasha Cloud and Kennedy Burke adding a combined eight points to the score sheet.
New York’s problems weren’t solely on the offensive end, as they couldn’t get consistent stops, which the Fever took advantage of. Kelsey Mitchell and Lexie Hull became a problem, pouring in 22 and 14 points, respectively, and sealing the deal on the Liberty’s first loss of the season.
