Liberty vs Fever: Caitlin Clark shines in return as Indiana Fever upset New York Liberty in WNBA

Caitlin Clark dazzled in her return from a left quad injury, pouring in 32 points, dishing out nine assists, and grabbing eight rebounds to lead the Indiana Fever to a 102-88 victory over the New York Liberty on Saturday, snapping the Liberty’s season-opening nine-game winning streak.

After missing five games, Clark came back in explosive fashion, scoring 25 of her 32 points in the first half to help Indiana (5-5) rally from an early 11-point deficit. She shot 11-of-20 from the field and matched her career high with seven 3-pointers - several from well beyond the arc.



Clark set the tone early, scoring 14 in the first quarter, including a flurry of three 3s in the final 86 seconds after Indiana fell behind by double digits.


She continued to fuel the Fever in the third quarter, pushing the lead to 72-59 with a layup, her final triple of the night, and two free throws with 3:43 remaining in the period.

Clark received a boost from her teammates as well - Kelsey Mitchell contributed 22 points, with 10 coming in the fourth quarter. Mitchell’s clutch 3-pointer late in the game extended the lead to 99-84 with just over two minutes left, sealing the statement win for Indiana.


Lexie Hull chipped in 14 points and Aliyah Boston added a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds, as the Fever denied the Liberty a place in the history books. The win prevented New York (9-1) from becoming just the fourth team in WNBA history to start a season 10-0.

Despite a strong showing from Sabrina Ionescu, who tallied 34 points on 11-of-20 shooting, and Breanna Stewart’s 24-point contribution, the Liberty couldn’t keep pace.

After taking a first-quarter lead, Liberty was outscored 78-62 the rest of the way. They struggled mightily from long range, converting just 6-of-29 from three-point territory (20.7%).