Aug 3, 2025; Uncasville, Connecticut, USA; New York Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello watches from the sideline as they take on the Connecticut Sun at Mohegan Sun Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images David Butler II-Imagn Images

Sandy Brondello Reveals What Makes Caitlin Clark So Tough to Defend

Originally posted on Indiana Fever on SI | By Grant Young | Last updated Nov 3, 2025 11:20 AM ET

Fresh off winning the first WNBA championship in the franchise's history in 2024, the New York Liberty had gotten off to a fantastic 9-0 start to their 2025 regular season campaign before heading to Indianapolis to face the Indiana Fever on June 14.

These two teams had already faced each other once in the season, when the Liberty sneaked past the Fever with a 90-88 win at home. But the defending champions weren't so fortunate in this second go-around, as the Fever beat them at Gainbridge Fieldhouse Arena by a score of 102-88 after outscoring them by 11 points in the second half, thus handing New York its first loss of the year.

This victory was largely owed to the performance that Fever superstar guard Caitlin Clark produced. After struggling from behind the three-point line early in the season, No. 22 erupted during this showdown against the Liberty, scoring 32 points (which would end up being her season-high) in 11 of 20 shooting from the field, including going 7 of 14 from three-point range.

This included a stretch where she drained three threes in a span of 38 seconds in the first quarter.

In hindsight, fans can see that this loss against the Fever marked the start of a brutal downward spiral for the Liberty, which included a 17-18 record in their final 35 games of the regular season and ultimately led to their elimination by the Phoenix Mercury in the first round of the postseason.

Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello was fired after New York's season ended. While she has since become the head coach of the Toronto Tempo, the fact that the team parted ways with her came as a shock to many.

Sandy Brondello Gets Honest About Guarding Caitlin Clark

Brondello was the guest on an October 31 episode of the Bird's Eye View podcast with WNBA legend Sue Bird. And at one point, Brondello got very honest about having to guard against Caitlin Clark.

“I think Caitlin Clark is really hard to guard when she’s healthy," Brondello said when asked about the toughest WNBA players to scout and guard against. "Just her ability. She gave us a lot of handful this year, and she can shoot it from way out, but she can pass it. And I think she has been a tough one."

Assuming Clark will remain healthy, Brondello will need to game-plan against her for the Tempo during the 2026 season. But both Brondello and Clark might have very different rosters around them by then.

This article first appeared on Indiana Fever on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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