Indiana Fever, Caitlin Clark Shut Down by New York Liberty

Thursday was a big night for the Indiana Fever, as they hosted the New York Liberty in the regular season home debut for Caitlin Clark. After losing the season opener on the road to the Connecticut Sun, the Fever and Clark were looking to bounce back against another strong opponent.

The New York Liberty played in the WNBA Finals last season but were defeated by the Las Vegas Aces. They are a deep and talented team that was one of the best defensive squads in the league last season.

The Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark learned that the hard way on Thursday night, as the game was more lopsided than the season opener. The Liberty destroyed the Fever 102-66, putting a damper on their home opener.

A sellout crowd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse of 17,274 was sent home disappointed by a visiting New York Liberty team on a mission to win their first-ever championship. Former MVP Breanna Stewart led the way with 31 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks as she was dominant on both ends of the court.

Stewart was one of the barrage of defenders the Liberty were sending at Caitlin Clark all night. They didn’t allow her to get comfortable, using their physicality to knock her off her spots. Clark admitted that, along with the speed of the game, is something she still needs to adjust to.

“The physicality is definitely up there. … I’m easily pushed off screens,” she said. “The game seems a little fast for me right now. The more I play and the more comfortable I get, it’s going to slow down a little bit. It will be easier for me to make reads, see things develop.”

Knowing that she could heat up in an instant, New York stayed attached to her all night. Their game plan worked, as she scored only nine points, shooting 2-of-8 from the field, including 1-of-7 from 3-point range. 

She did grab seven rebounds and hand out six assists, but it wasn’t enough to keep the Indiana Fever competitive in the game. Another encouraging sign for Caitlin Clark was that she had only three turnovers after committing 10 in her regular season debut.

This is how life is going to be for a young Indiana Fever squad early in the season. They still have some developing to do, but the future is bright with some of the talent on their roster. A rematch between these teams will commence on Saturday in Brooklyn.