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Sabrina Ionescu Sends Blunt Caitlin Clark Message After Liberty Lose to Fever

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Chris Phelps | Last updated Jun 14, 2025 7:33 PM ET

Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever got back to .500 to begin the 2025 WNBA season, defeating Sabrina Ionescu and the New York Liberty 102-88 on Saturday afternoon.

Clark returned to action after missing five games and nearly three weeks with a left quad strain. And she didn't miss a beat, tallying 32 points on 11-of-20 shooting and 7-of-14 from distance, eight rebounds and nine assists.

Ionescu was solid as well in New York's first loss of the season, recording a game-high 34 points on 11-of-20 shooting, two rebounds and four assists.

After Ionescu and the Liberty took a six-point lead with 7:31 remaining in the third quarter, the Fever went on a 17-0 run, which became a big factor to securing the win.

After the loss, Ionescu joined her coach, Sandy Brondello, and fellow New York All-Star Breanna Stewart for a postgame press conference. The former Oregon Ducks guard had nothing but praise for Clark.

"Basketball's a game of runs," Ionescu said. "The same way we go on runs, they do as well. They're a great team. I think we gave (Clark) too many easy ones. She has great range… On a personal level, I'm happy to see her out there on the court & feeling good."

Sabrina Ionescu: "Basketball's a game of runs… the same way we go on runs, they do as well, they're a great team. I think we gave [Caitlin] too many easy ones, she has great range… On a personal level, I'm happy to see her out there on the court & feeling good." (Q: @madkenney)
— Myles (@MylesEhrlich) June 14, 2025

Ionescu and Clark have now gone head-to-head six times since the Fever guard joined the WNBA in the 2024 draft. But the Liberty have won four of those contests, while Indiana has taken two. The two teams will meet two more times in 2025, with the next matchup coming on July 16.

With the loss, the Liberty drop to 9-1 on the season, facing the Atlanta Dream in their next game on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Fever improve to 5-5, taking on the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday as well.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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