Liberty drain 15 threes to beat Caitlin Clark, Fever again in home opener
The Liberty shot 47 percent from three to take down Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever for the second time in three days, 91-80, on Saturday afternoon at Barclays Centers.
Here are the takeaways...
-The Fever changed up their offensive plan in this one, getting out to a fast start and letting Clark get open shots and run the floor more freely.
Clark scored nine points in Thursday's matchup but put up 10 points in the first quarter. Although the Fever got out to an early lead, the Liberty's offense heated up, especially from three, and took over the lead for good.
Clark still got hers, though, putting up a career-high 22 points on 9-of-17 shooting (4-10 from three), but the Indiana defense was a no-show. They allowed New York to shoot 48 percent from the floor and 47 percent from three.
-The Liberty struggled from three in their first two games but found the range on Saturday. They made eight threes in each of their first two games, they made 12 in the first half, tying the franchise record for most three-pointers in a half.
New York finished 15-of-32 from downtown, including four made three from Sabrina Ionescu.
-Speaking of Ionescu, the sharp-shooting guard had her most efficient shooting day -- on the same day she revealed her new Sabrina 2 signature shoe. She made 12 points of 4-of-11 shooting including 4-of-9 from deep. She also dished five assists.
-Betnijay Laney-Hamilton was a franchise-best +43 on the court in Thursday's game in Indiana while being Clark's primary defender. She had the assignment again on Saturday, and while Clark got her shots -- which the team did a much better job using picks to rotate Laney-Hamilton off of Clark and give her space -- BLH was still a menace to the No. 1 overall pick.
She finished with 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting (3-5 from three) and was a +21 on the floor.
-Breanna Stewart, coming off her first 30-point game of the season, wasn't needed on the offensive side as much. She still put up 24 points on 7-of-14 shooting. She grabbed five rebounds, stole four passes and blocked three shots.
Game MVP: The Liberty starting five
It's hard to pick one MVP as Saturday's team was a complete team effort. They all defended, rebounded and scored at will. While they didn't outrebound Indiana like last time (34-32) they turned defense into offense with a 28-2 fast break point differential.
All five Liberty starters scored in double digits: Stewart (24), Ionescu (12), Laney-Hamilton (13), Jonquel Jones (14), Courtney Vandersloot (10).
Highlights
What's next
The Liberty look to keep their perfect start to the season going on Monday when they host the Seattle Storm at 7 p.m. from Barclays Center.
