BROOKLYN – The New York Liberty beat the Indiana Fever, 91-80, for the second time this week in New York’s regular season opener in front of a sellout Barclays Center crowd. Saturday was the third consecutive sellout crowd Indiana (0-3) has played in front of to open the 2024 regular season.
Fever rookie guard Caitlin Clark led Indiana in scoring with a career-high 22 points to go along with a team-high eight assists and six rebounds. Clark’s eight assists on Saturday tied her with Julie Allemand for the fourth-most assists made by a Fever rookie in a regular-season game.
Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell started Saturday’s contest with a 3-pointer in her first starting nod of the 2024 regular season. Mitchell was Indiana’s second-leading scorer with 17 points and tallied two rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Fever center Aliyah Boston and forward NaLyssa Smith also scored in double figures for Indiana with 12 and 11 points each. Smith posted a team-high eight rebounds with Boston following closely behind with seven rebounds. Fever forward Katie Lou Samuelson added seven points, five rebounds and four assists to round out the starting five.
All of New York’s starters scored in double figures Saturday, led by forward Breanna Stewart again with 24 points on Saturday. Stewart led the Liberty in scoring on Thursday against Indiana with 31 points as well. Stewart also recorded five rebounds, four steals, three blocks and went 8-of-8 from the free throw line to help New York stay perfect at 3-0 this season.
Liberty center Jonquel Jones was behind Stewart with 14 points and recorded a team-high 12 rebounds for her second double-double against Indiana this year. Jones and guards Sabrina Ionescu and Courtney Vandersloot all distributed five assists as well.
Indiana outscored New York, 43-34, in the second half after New York shot better than 55 percent from the floor in the first half. Indiana outscored New York, 38-32, in paint points and also outscored the Liberty, 16-8, in second chance points. The Liberty countered by winning the fast-break points advantage, 28-2.
UP NEXT
The Fever return home to Gainbridge Fieldhouse to take on the Connecticut Sun at 7 p.m. ET on Monday. The game will broadcast on ESPN.
Originally posted on fever.wnba.com