Breanna Stewart blocks Caitlin Clark in New York’s 90-88 win in Indiana (Photo: NY Liberty, Brandon Todd)
By Noah Zimmerman
Noah@queensledger.com
The New York Liberty have opened up the season 3-0, and they’ve done it with three very impressive wins. In their quest to defend the first WNBA title in franchise history, New York trounced Las Vegas at home before hitting the road to face newly re-armed teams in the Midwest.
In Chicago the Liberty took the floor against Courtney Vandersloot, a key piece of their 2024 championship team. Vandersloot was selected by Chicago 3rd overall in the 2011 WNBA draft, and returned for a 13th season in Windy City.
Vandersloot led Chicago starters with 14 points, but rough performances by Angel Reese, Kia Nurse, and Kamilla Cardoso kept the Liberty well beyond the Skyís reach.
In her second game with New York, Natasha Cloud led all scorers with 18 points, grabbing 8 rebounds and assisting on 4 Liberty baskets. She hit 4 of New York’s 19 3-pointers, a new regular season WNBA record.
Natasha Cloud puts in a layup over Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever (Photo: NY Liberty, Brandon Todd)
Kennedy Burke scored 17 points off the bench and Sabrina Ionescu added 16 as the Liberty won in Chicago, 99-74.
On May 24th, the Liberty travelled to Gainbridge Fieldhouse, where the Knicks would take on the Pacers in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals the next day. In the WNBA edition of the NY vs Indiana clash, a packed crowd gathered to watch the league’s brightest young star and a newly improved Fever team take on the defending champs.
It seemed in the first half that New York’s firepower and defense would be too much for the Fever, but Caitlin Clark turned up in the 3rd quarter as Indiana outscored the Liberty 30-13. Clark scored 9 of her 18 points in the 3rd frame as Indiana seized a 76-68 lead entering the 4th.
Down the stretch, New York showed their toughness. They only allowed 12 Fever points, the lowest single-quarter total for either team in the game. Jonquel Jones was nothing short of dominant, picking up 14 of her team-high 26 points in the 4th.
In the final seconds, Sabrina Ionescu cut to the cup. She was able to draw a game-deciding foul, much to the dismay of the home crown. Ionescu hit both free throws as New York subdued the Fever 90-88.
Following two games this week against the Golden State Valkyries, the newest WNBA team, the Liberty head to Washington on Friday night for a date with Steph Dolson, Aaliyah Edwards, and the Mystics. They return to the Barclays Center on Sunday, June 1 for their first matchup of the year with the Connecticut Sun.
