Even after the miss, Liberty still had chances.
Sabrina Ionescu’s deep 3-point shot bounced off.
Betnijah Laney-Hamilton was a major reason her team got back into the game, scoring 20 points and chasing down offensive rebounds.
But as Lainey Hamilton tried to reset the attack, giving Liberty a final shot to overcome a one-goal deficit, the ball bounced off her foot.
The ball flew over the midcourt line, resulting in a backcourt violation.
The Fever made the free throws.
The Liberty’s final moment of lift rebounded.
And after all the confusion, one of the biggest upsets against the Liberty this season was guaranteed.
The top-ranked Liberty lost 83-78 to the non-playoff Fever on Saturday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Caitlin Clark made history by recording the first rookie triple-double in league history.
She assisted on Lexi Hull’s layup that turned out to be the game-winning shot.
Sandy Brondello warned that the Fever would have a tougher challenge than they had earlier in the season, and she was right.
In four meetings this season, the Liberty has already seen its fair share of Clark history.
They were her home opener opponent at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Two days later, after she had the best early quarter of her career and ultimately the best points of her career, they were on opposing benches again.
Then on Saturday, in Clark’s final regular-season matchup with the Fever, Liberty allowed the No. 1 overall pick to finish with 19 points, 12 rebounds and 13 assists, becoming the first WNBA rookie to record a triple-double.
The game, his 21st in 40 appearances, will be remembered as a milestone for Clark and the Fever’s first true win.
In the first quarter, despite being heavily defended, she scored 11 points, including a three-point shot on the first attempt and another in transition.
Clark also recorded three assists in the first 10 minutes.
And that helped give the Fever an early advantage.
Indiana started off 10-1.
Liberty’s deficit grew to 12 in the first quarter.
The Liberty has won both games against the Fever by a combined 83 points this season, and despite leading by a combined 38 points each time after the first quarter, they never took the lead until just 2:50 before halftime.
Ultimately, Liberty was able to limit Clark’s scoring, but he converted a three-point play in the final two minutes to pull the Fever within 75-72.
She didn’t score through the entire third quarter.
And she finally passed to Mitchell in transition for a game-tying 3-pointer with 2:30 left.
Liberty found a way to overcome an early deficit.
They found a way to establish a commanding lead for themselves.
They found a way to make more history and get one step closer to victory right up until the final moments of the game when Clarke made another.
But then they had the final turnover.
Ionescu’s final missed shot in the final seconds of the game would have tied the game before the Fever’s final two free throws.
Clark, first, made more history.
And it helped spark one of the most unexpected upsets in the WNBA this year.
