Caitlin Clark Takes Positives Away from Tough Fever Loss to Liberty
The Indiana Fever may have walked away on the losing end of a 90–88 battle to the New York Liberty on Saturday, but this was far from a discouraging loss against the defending WNBA champions. Indiana showed grit, resilience, and flashes of the team they eventually want to be.
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) May 24, 2025
The game was a thrilling back-and-forth, with Indiana being down by as many as 15, then building a lead of as much as 12. The Liberty stormed back in the fourth quarter, leaving fans on the edge of their seats to see who would come out victorious. But it was New York that emerged victorious off of two crucial free throws made by Sabrina Ionescu with 2.9 seconds remaining in the game.
Afterwards, Clark offered a grounded but optimistic take on the performance in the post game interview saying, “We really played one good quarter of basketball and lost to the defending champions by two…so I guess that’s positive.” The Fever star of course citing the third quarter that saw Indiana outscore New York by 17.
“We played one good quarter of basketball and lost to the defending champs by two…so I guess that’s a positive,” Caitlin Clark on the Liberty loss.
— Robin Lundberg (@robinlundberg) May 24, 2025
With the Liberty’s size, in players like Finals MVP Jonquel Jones, and the firepower of shooters like Sabrina Ionescu and Natasha Cloud, the fact that the Fever had a win within reach only playing one good quarter of the game says a lot.
However, there’s still plenty for the Fever to tighten up, as Clark pointed out afterwards.
“It feels like every game we’ve only really put two quarters together. We’re kind of waiting for that four quarters of really good basketball—that’s what’s gonna have to happen if we wanna beat the really good teams in this league.”
Still, Clark was able to find the silver lining when responding to a question about the Fever's margin of defeat being so small in the team's losses so far this season.
"You take that as a positive. You go back, you learn. But also we are two possessions away from being 4-0, and a possession away from beating the Liberty here. It definitely stings but this is going to be what makes us better at the end of the year," Clark stated.
caitlin on being two possessions away from being 4-0:
— cc akgae (@clrkszn) May 24, 2025
“it’s probably what’s frustrating about it—but there were so many little areas in this game that we could’ve improved, our defense was poor—it definitely stings but this is what’s gonna make us better at the end of the year.” pic.twitter.com/sFrjCzGvbS
Turnovers in key moments and slow starts defensively continue to be an issue, but this matchup proved the Fever can hang with the league’s best. Indiana may be a work in progress, but if the game against the Liberty was any indication, the gap between them and the W’s elite isn’t wide.
Clark and company will continue to look to build chemistry quickly, so said gap can be closed through more Fever consistency.
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Rosalina Lee is one of the premiere content creators in the women’s basketball space. She has written for such companies as Red Bull Sports and has teamed up with notable brands such as Madison Square Garden, going behind the scenes with the New York Knicks and Rangers. She is currently offering analysis and fresh takes into the world of women’s basketball on her YouTube channel, and now with Indiana Fever On SI and Women's Fastbreak On SI, keeping fans in the loop with all the latest action!
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