The New York Liberty dominated Indiana on Thursday night, winning by a whopping 36 points in the Fever’s home opener.
A sold-out crowd of 17,274 was in attendance to watch as star rookie Caitlin Clark finished the 102-66 defeat with nine points, seven rebounds, and six assists. It’s the first time since January 2021 — her freshman season at Iowa — that Clark’s been held to single-digit scoring.
“The physicality is definitely up there… I’m easily pushed off screens,” she told reporters after the loss. “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.”
The Fever were outscored by a combined margin of 57 points in their first two games — the largest two-game point deficit in WNBA season-opening history, according to @ESPNStatsInfo.
“We’ve got to get to a level of toughness,” Fever coach Christie Sides in her own postgame remarks. “When things are going south on us, we’re not stopping the bleeding.”
“I have great perspective on everything that happens,” Clark added. “It was the same in my college career. There were some moments that were absolutely amazing. And there were some moments I was not happy with how I played and how my team performed. That’s just life, that’s just basketball.”
Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu, who herself experienced a rocky rookie season following a much-hyped college career, offered up some insight on the matter.
“In this league, there are tough defenses all centered around not letting you get the ball, trapping, not letting you score,” Ionescu said. “There were many factors that played into what was a tough first season for me in the league, but it helps you be able to figure it out. You have to have those experiences.”
But it was reigning league MVP Breanna Stewart that truly stole the show, racking up 31 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, three steals, and two blocks on the night.
“In general, I just wanted to come out more aggressive coming off of last game,” Stewart said after putting up the 24th 30-point game in her career.
Stewart she also commended the fans inside Indianapolis’s packed Gainbridge Fieldhouse, noting that she hopes that level of support to continue across the WNBA.
“This is how you want every game to be and when it’s a sell-out crowd, it gives you a similar playoff atmosphere feel,” she said. “People want to be a part of this and the thing now is to continue to sustain it, continue to take the momentum that we have and turn it into something more.”
