Another quiet night for Caitlin Clark as Liberty show how far Indiana Fever have to go

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indiana Fever continued through their gauntlet of an opening week schedule Thursday, playing WNBA runner-up New York Liberty in their home-opener at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

And New York spoiled Fever rookie Caitlin Clark's debut with a 102-66 victory. The two teams will rematch at the Barclays Center 1 p.m., Saturday.

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Here are three observations:

Caitlin Clark finds more of a rhythm

The first two points on the Fever's new court came from Clark. She fought through Liberty guard Betnijah Laney-Hamilton in the paint, going for a quick jumper.

Clark seemed more relaxed than she was in Connecticut in the season-opener — her teammates did, too. They had more of a rhythm to their offense, and Clark was able to find her teammates for five assists in the first half — including a bounce pass for an easy layup for Aliyah Boston.

Clark still had some miscues — she fouled Breanna Stewart while going for a rebound in the final seconds of the first half, which gave Stewart two free throws and Clark her third foul of the night. Clark quickly picked up her fourth foul just 30 seconds into the third quarter, then her fifth with 7:30 left, which forced her to play carefully until she checked out for the final time with three minutes left in the game.

The ball wasn't falling for Clark from 3-point range either. Those two points she scored to open the Fever's scoring ended up being the only she scored in the half, and she went 0-for-4 from 3-point range in the first half. She finished the game with nine points, going 1-of-7 from 3-point range and 2-of-8 from the field.

Aliyah Boston, Jonquel Jones play physical game

Liberty center Jonquel Jones plays a physical game, and Aliyah Boston battled her in the the paint. From the opening buzzer, the two were pushing and shoving in the paint, jockeying for better positioning.

About halfway through the first quarter, Jones fouled Boston on a layup and interlocked their arms. She kept their arms locked through the rebound and after the whistle blew, and the two traded words while Boston was getting her arm free. Jones got up close to Boston after he play, forcing NaLyssa Smith and the Liberty's Breanna Stewart to break them up. After review, officials deemed it was a common foul on Jones.

Boston had prepared for the physicality of other WNBA centers throughout the offseason though, hitting the weight room heavily to become the strongest she's been in her playing career. The South Carolina product had her best scoring night of the preseason/season so far, scoring 12 points with seven rebounds.

Fever defense, rebounding discombobulated

In the first half, Stewart had it easy. The Liberty forward went 8-of-14 from the field for 20 points in the first 20 minutes, taking advantage of the Fever's discombobulated defense for open layups and quick jumpers.

The Fever struggled with their communication in defensive rotations, frequently leaving the paint open for Stewart and Jones. The Liberty's dominance in the paint helped them gain a hefty lead — New York was struggling from beyond the arc, but finished with 48 paint points.

Indiana's rebounding was also subpar, at least compared to New York. The Liberty once took four 3-point shots on one possession, easily grabbing the rebound each time. The Liberty had multiple putback opportunities in the paint, too, grabbing 13 offensive rebounds. The Liberty's overall rebounding edge led to 78 shots, 18 more than the Fever.

How many points did Caitlin Clark score?

Clark scored the first two points of the game, but she was held scoreless for the rest of the half. She heated up in the third quarter, though, scoring seven straight points.

She had a more balanced game on Thursday night, with nine points, seven rebounds, and six assists.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Caitlin Clark quiet again as Indiana Fever lose to New York Liberty