Caitlin Clark became the first WNBA rookie to achieve a triple-double as the Indiana Fever rallied late to beat the WNBA-best New York Liberty 83-78 at home on Saturday. The Fever (9-13) won their first game over New York since 2022 after a nine-game losing streak to the Liberty (17-4).
After dominating for most of the fourth quarter, New York appeared to sweep the season series until Indiana embarked on an 11-0 run in the final minutes. The Indiana Fever led 79-75 with 1:24 left after Lexie Hall scored. The Liberty did not score in the last 1:08 after Sabrina Ionescu’s 3-pointer ended the run. Clark led the Fever with 19 points, 12 rebounds, 13 assists, and 2 steals in her record effort. Aliyah Boston scored 18 points and grabbed 8 rebounds, while NaLyssa Smith scored 12 and grabbed 11. Mitchell scored 14 points. Ionescu led New York with 22 points. Betnijah Laney-Hamilton scored 20 and Breanna Stewart 14. Ionescu had an attempt at the game-tying 3-pointer with 14.1 seconds remaining, but the Fever were able to corral the miss and Mitchell converted two free throws to preserve the win. Indiana pounced on New York to start the game and led by as many as 12 points in the first quarter following a Clark 3-pointer.
The Liberty outscored the Fever 20-15 in the second quarter, but Indiana hung onto a tight 39-38 halftime advantage. The Liberty emerged from the halftime break with a fresh effort and pulled in ahead following a back-and-forth exchange to start the third quarter. They stretched their lead to as much as 11 points early in the fourth quarter and led 62-55 heading into the final period. Indiana shot 47.8 percent from the floor the game and went 7 of 24 (29.2 percent) from 3-point range. The Fever outrebounded the Liberty 41-31. New York shot 40.8 percent from the floor in the loss, and 10 of 42 (23.8 percent) from beyond the arc.
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