Breanna Stewart Explains How Liberty 'Exploited' Fever After Win
New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart was spectacular in her team's 83-75 win over the Indiana Fever on June 6, scoring 30 points while adding 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 4 steals in 33 minutes played.
Stewart spoke to the media after the win and explained how New York took advantage of one aspect of Indiana's second-half strategy.
"I think we definitely exploited [the Fever's physicality and aggression]," Stewart said, per a YouTube video from The Ballers Magazine. "You know, we wanted to really kind of put that pressure on them, too. They want to get into the paint. They want to attack us that way. We want to also attack their hips, and put the right people in the actions."
Breanna Stewart's Free Throws Were Key to Liberty Win Against Fever
Stewart was alluding to the fact that Indiana tried to match the physicality the Liberty were playing with in the second half. New York has been applying full court pressure all game, which was beginning to wear Indiana down.
But when the Fever tried to match this physicality, it manifested in a lot of fouling Liberty players, which was a key reason why New York pulled away.
New York took a staggering 40 free throws in the game, most of which came in the second half, and 18 of Stewart's 30 points came via the free throw line (she had 21 total free throw attempts). Indiana, on the other hand, only took 15 free throws and made 9 of them, converting at a 60% clip.
Not to mention that star Fever guard Caitlin Clark was deep in foul trouble, which kept her contained to the bench for much of the second half. And because she's the Fever's offensive orchestrator, the team wasn't able to find its rhythm, and ultimately allowed the lead they'd built up in the first half slip away.
Clark has been fouling a lot more this season than she has been in the past, largely because teams are making an effort to go after her on defense. This is tough for Indiana because they need her on the court as much as possible and to be able to defend without fouling.
New York has now won four straight games and is 7-4 on the season overall, and faces the struggling Connecticut Sun on June 8. Indiana is 5-5 overall with their next game being against the Washington Mystics on June 8.
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Grant Young covers women’s basketball for Women’s Fastbreak and Indiana Fever On SI. His coverage centers on league trends and the growth of women’s basketball, both on and off the court. He also creates digital content focused on the sport’s biggest moments and personalities.
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