Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever entered play Saturday clinging to the No. 8 seed in the WNBA playoff picture. They needed to get a win to gain some cushion on the No. 9 seed Atlanta Dream, but doing so Saturday wouldn't be easy.
The Fever were facing the New York Liberty, the Brenna Stewart-led team with the WNBA's best record at 17-3.
The Liberty entered play against the Fever having won five consecutive official games. Their lone loss over that span came against the Minnesota Lynx in the Commissioner's Cup Final.
Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones and more were expected to give the Fever a run for their money, even with New York playing on the road. Caitlin Clark and Co. mounted a strong challenge to the Liberty and pulled off an upset that positions them to challenge the Chicago Sky for the No. 7 seed.
How did Clark do in a game that qualified as a big opportunity for her? Sporting News tracked her history-making performance against the Liberty, as the Fever handed New York just its fourth official loss of the season.
MORE: Breaking down Caitlin Clark's triple-double vs. Liberty
Caitlin Clark stats vs. New York Liberty
Final: Fever 83, Liberty 78
- Minutes played : 38
- Points : 19
- Rebounds : 12
- Assists : 13
- Steals : 2
- Blocks : 0
- Turnovers : 4
- FG : 7-17
- 3FG : 3-12
- FT : 2-2
- Fouls : 2
MORE: Why ESPN analyst has Angel Reese over Caitlin Clark in Rookie of the Year race
Caitlin Clark highlights vs. New York Liberty
Clark got off to a hot start against the Liberty, scoring 11 first-quarter points and adding three assists and two steals to her totals. Her strong start began with her sinking a 3-point shot to open the scoring.
After that, Clark showed her slashing ability. She used her speed to get by Jonquel Jones and lay in an easy look at the basket.
Jones wasn't the only defender Clark bested in the first half. She also pulled off a nice step-back against Courtney Vandersloot on a deep 3-point shot. She sunk it.
And Clark also showed a solid midrange game, as she nailed a fadeaway jumper to push her first-half scoring total to 13.
Clark cooled off from beyond the arc in the second half, but she still found a way to make an impact near the rim.
Here was the rebound that secured a historic triple-double for Clark:
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