The defending WNBA champs, the New York Liberty, took an early lead and held off a second-half rally to edge the Indiana Fever 90-88 on Saturday afternoon. The first quarter was a seesaw affair, with the Liberty taking a narrow 30-29 lead. In the second quarter, they carved out a little breathing room to take a nine-point lead into halftime, 55-46.
The Fever would storm back at the end of the third quarter, though, behind nine points from Caitlin Clark in the quarter’s final two minutes. Indiana took a 76-68 lead into the fourth quarter, but the Liberty’s Jonquel Jones would dominate the final frame. Jones scored 14 of New York’s 22 points in the quarter, and Sabrina Ionescu would hit two clutch free throws with 2.9 seconds left to put the Liberty on top. The Fever had one last shot to steal the win, but Natasha Cloud blocked Clark’s three-pointer at the buzzer to secure the victory.
The Indiana Fever made some significant changes in the off-season to complement their core of Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, and Aliyah Boston, bringing in forward Natasha Howard and guards DeWanna Bonner and Sophie Cunningham. Howard is still a potent scorer, and she and Bonner bring a combined 26 years of veteran experience to the team. The Fever hopes that Cunningham will lessen the drop-off the team faced last year when Clark needed a breather. While the new additions have not found their chemistry yet in the young WNBA season, the potential is there for a long playoff run.
Indiana showed flashes in this game of how good they could be. Boston put up 27 points and 13 rebounds–both season highs. Clark put up her third double-double of the season, adding 18 points, 10 assists, and five rebounds. Kelsey Mitchell and Lexie Hull both pitched 15 points. Clark’s 10 turnovers and five fouls proved to be issues in a game decided by just two points, but she still had a chance to pull out a victory on the final play–a play on which she appeared to be fouled.
New York may be better than last year, which should scare the rest of the WNBA. Ionescu, Jones, and Breanna Stewart return as the core of the team, but the addition of Natasha Cloud adds a fourth big-time scorer to the mix. Cloud replaces Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, who will miss the entire 2025 WNBA season after undergoing knee surgery.
Jones led the Liberty on Saturday with 26 points and 12 rebounds. Ionescu pitched in 23 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Stewart added 16 points and seven rebounds, but it was Cloud’s all-around game that may well have been the difference in this one. The 10th-year guard put up 16 points, seven rebounds, six assists, five steals, and two blocks–including the game-saver at the buzzer.
If the Liberty stay healthy, they should easily take the Eastern Conference crown again this season. Expect this team to be a juggernaut all year, and do not be surprised to see them back in the WNBA finals at season’s end. Jones, Ionescu, and Stewart are a three-headed monster that most teams have no answer for, and Cloud is the glue that holds everything together. The Liberty improved to 3-0 on the young season and will be in action next on May 27 when they host the Golden State Valkyries (2-1).
The Fever’s biggest challenges this season will be chemistry and turnovers. There are a lot of new players to get on the same page, and Clark’s needle-threading passes take some getting used to. Clark needs to force those passes less and force fewer three-pointers. When she takes her shots in the rhythm of the offense, she is a force of nature. This team looks fantastic on paper, but it will all come down to whether they can gel together. The Fever (2-2) return to the court on May 28, when they travel to Washington, D.C. for a game with the Mystics (2-2).
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