Sabrina Ionescu Facing Intense Backlash for Statement After Loss to Indiana Fever

The Indiana Fever snapped a nine-game losing streak to the New York Liberty with a win over their Eastern Conference opponents on Saturday afternoon. It took a historic performance from Caitlin Clark and an all-around effort from the rest of Indiana's roster to finally take down the Liberty for the first time in 10 games.

Clark became the first rookie in league history to record triple-double in this game. Becoming the youngest WNBA player to ever record one, Clark broke a record that Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu previously held.

Ionescu's first triple-double came when she was 23 years old, and Clark's triple-double on Saturday comes at just 22 years old.

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While Ionescu has a lot of respect for Clark, the Liberty star's postgame comments have received intense backlash among WNBA fans. Suggesting this game meant more to Indiana than it did to New York given the season series, Ionescu said the following to reporters after the game:

"It's understanding that this is their Super Bowl game. We've beaten them three times already, and we knew they'd come really hungry... Everyone has grown, especially this young [Indiana] team."

This post alone has accumulated over 100,000 views in the first hour since it was uploaded, as hundreds of fans have reacted to Ionescu's comments.

While this game did seem to mean a lot to Indiana, which could have contributed to their increased effort, nothing can take away from how impressive this victory was.

While fans have felt Ionescu's comments were disrespectful to Indiana, the video shows her tone to not be as dismissive as the quote reads:

New York had just three losses all season entering play on Sunday, but fell to an Indiana team just trying to stay afloat in the Eastern Conference standings.

Related: Caitlin Clark Makes WNBA History Against New York Liberty

Related: Indiana Fever Make Big Injury Announcement Before Game Against Liberty

Related: Indiana Fever Star Reveals Truth About 'Added Pressure' From Caitlin Clark