INDIANAPOLIS — For the Liberty, it seemed like they had finally found their stride.
Not long ago, just under a month past, they suffered a crushing 20-point defeat in Indianapolis. This humbling loss became a wake-up call, sparking a players-only meeting and several intense, honest discussions.
Following these critical conversations, the Liberty re-emerged with renewed energy, highlighting Rebecca Allen in their starting lineup. There was a newfound buzz in the team, revitalizing hopes of making a serious bid for the championship.
Since their last encounter with the Fever, New York has impressively gone 7-1.
Tuesday presented them with a golden opportunity to redeem themselves from that humiliating loss they suffered in July.
Instead, the Liberty looked eerily familiar to the team that previously left Indiana deflated, falling to the Fever 106-92.
The Liberty didn’t impose anything on the Fever or make them uncomfortable. They, again, got burned by elite opposing guard play.
The Fever’s dynamic backcourt of Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark had their way for most of the night, with New York’s defense providing little resistance.
Mitchell scored 20 of her game-high 28 points in the first half. Clark added 22 points and 10 assists. The two went a startling 8-for-12 from deep, including 7-for-8 in the first half.
Aliyah Boston finished with 19 points and seven rebounds.
The Liberty’s defense looked sluggish and disconnected. Their close-outs were slow.
They just didn’t have it on a night they needed to prove they did.
It put a bright spotlight on the absences of Leonie Fiebich and Satou Sabally, who’ve each been sidelined for more than a month now with no timeline to return.
The Liberty surrendered 64 points in the first half, the third-most allowed in any half in franchise history.
The Fever shot 22-for-37 (59.5 percent) from the field, including 11-for-14 (78.6 percent) from beyond the arc across the first two quarters.
New York seemed ready to storm a comeback at the start of the third.
The Liberty went on an 11-2 run to make it a nine-point game with 6:51 left. New York would get it that close once more, but that was it.
The Fever slammed the door on the Liberty with a 19-8 run to close the third quarter.