The New York Liberty held their home opener yesterday in a triumphant 91-80 victory over the Indiana Fever. A sell-out crowd of 17,735 was on hand to watch the Liberty improve to 3-0 on the season against the Caitlin Clark-led Fever.
Breanna Stewart led the Liberty with 24 points, five rebounds, four steals, and three blocks. Meanwhile, Clark would lead the Fever with her best of the early season with 22 points, eight assists, and six rebounds. New York would see all five starters score in double figures.
The first quarter of the game was an uptempo pace that saw New York drop 33 points. Overall, the Fever’s defense in the season’s first week remains weak. New York would score 53 points in the first half compared to 37 for Indiana. As a team, New York shot 48.4 percent from the field and 46.9 percent from the three-point line. The Fever did outrebound the Liberty, 34-32, with ten offensive rebounds for Indiana.
X-Factors For The Indiana Fever and New York Liberty
Overall, the Liberty bench combined for 18 points and seven rebounds. Nyara Sabally had her best output of the season with seven points, five rebounds, two blocks, and two steals. This season’s compressed schedule will require all teams to go deep into their bench to avoid fatigue. Finally, New York continues to have turnover issues, and this game saw them with 20 compared to only ten in their last game.
For Indiana, their defense remains an issue as New York had too many fast-break chances. Turnovers are also a limiting the Fever’s production as they had 15 overall while Clark herself had eight. Coach Christine Sides continues to rely heavily on the Fever starters. Furthermore, the bench for Indiana combined for only 11 points and six rebounds.
Clark Effect
One key takeaway from the game is that Clark’s debut in Brooklyn saw over $2 million in ticket revenue for a single game:
“I think the buzz and eyes that Caitlin has brought from Iowa now to the WNBA is going to be a collective win for all. When I first started in the league, some teams weren’t even making revenue. … It’s a long time coming. We’re happy to be at this point, but we’re not satisfied.”
New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart
The game drew some top celebrities including Billie Jean King, Sue Bird, Megan Rapinoe, Dawn Staley, and Michelle Wie West. Already, the league is seeing a record amount of sellouts to start the season. Overall, league attendance is up by 73 percent currently compared to last season.
Up Next: The Liberty and Fever return to action on Monday, May 20. New York will face Seattle at Barclays (7:00 pm) while Indiana heads home to face the Sun (7:00 pm on ESPN).
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