During Saturday night’s game, Brianna Stewart was seen on the Liberty bench taking a sip from her water bottle.
It was a tough night for both Indiana’s Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell, who found it hard to score. Liberty also had their struggles at Barclays Center.
Things just didn’t seem to click.
Stewart missed an early layup.
The whistle blew, catching both teams off guard.
At halftime, the Fever held a three-point lead, which ballooned to 12 within six minutes of the third quarter.
Then, unexpectedly, the Liberty ramped up their game.
Stewart was at the forefront of their resurgence.
She notched 15 of her game-high 30 points in the fourth quarter, leading Liberty to an impressive 83-75 victory. This marked their biggest comeback of the season.
New York capped off the third quarter with a 9-0 run, closing the gap significantly.
Stewart opened the fourth quarter with a free throw, granted due to a technical foul on Aliyah Boston, bringing Liberty to within two points.
The Fever tried hard to fend off Liberty, yet New York was relentless in pursuit of their fourth consecutive win.
Liberty’s defense really set the tone, allowing them to outscore the Fever 29-18 in the final quarter.
It was an odd game overall. It kicked off with a fast pace, suggesting an offensive showcase was in the cards.
But then, things became a bit clumsy.
Liberty only mustered 15 points in the first half, with Clark and Mitchell shooting 5 of 19. Despite this, they found themselves just three points down at halftime.
Mitchell led the Fever with 21 points, while Clark managed 10 points from 4-of-14 shooting, along with nine assists and seven rebounds.
Sato Sabally added 13 points and 5 rebounds for Liberty.
With this win, Liberty wrapped up a 4-3 homestand and marked their second victory in the Commissioner’s Cup.
