Liberty’s Struggles Continue in Loss to Fever

INDIANAPOLIS — The Liberty Party can’t seem to catch a break.

After not playing since Sunday, they were primed for a comeback. Thursday’s game in Dallas had been postponed to Monday due to travel issues, giving them extra time to practice and meet as a team.

Brianna Stewart felt confident going into the game.

But just hours later, it became clear that the Liberty were in trouble.

Earlier that day, Stewart had mentioned to the Post that their matchup against the Fever wasn’t solely to prove their competitiveness, but rather to show that their hard work was paying off.

New York’s pride was on the line.

Unfortunately, things spiraled out of control. The Liberty ended up losing 108-88 in a game that left them exhausted and demoralized.

It’s just… really disappointing.

It’s frustrating.

It’s tough to watch.

I mean, pick an emotion here.

Liberty held a 13-point lead with just under three minutes left in the first half.

But then, Lexi Hull scored a three-pointer in transition, and shortly after, Kelsey Mitchell was sent to the line for three free throws after a foul. Tyasha Harris also scored three points—suddenly, the gap shrank to just four points.

At halftime, the Liberty still led, but only by that same four points.

During the third quarter, the Fever, playing on the second night of a back-to-back, outscored New York 30-12.

Mitchell was particularly dominant, racking up 14 of his 33 points in that period.

This has become an all-too-familiar scene for the Liberty.

Something seems off.

It feels like the team dynamics are off-kilter.

They seem to be relying too heavily on Stewart.

This can’t last long-term.

New York had 17 turnovers, leading to 30 points for the Fever. Indiana capitalized on eight offensive rebounds, turning them into 18 points.

Watching the Fever, it seemed like they were the fresher team, even though they were also playing back-to-back games.

Yet, the Liberty had six days to prepare and still couldn’t capitalize on that.

In the third quarter, New York struggled significantly, committing eight turnovers and eight fouls while making just 5 of 13 shots.

Injuries played a part, too. Leoni Fievic is out with a left foot injury, and Sato Sabally has missed seven games due to concussion protocols.

But still, excuses can’t justify what happened on Saturday.

They started off strong, with a brief but heavy downpour of three-pointers—Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones, and Stewart all scored early. Marin Johannes had an impressive 4-of-5 from deep in the first quarter.

Yet, in the following quarters, New York only made 6 of 23 shots from beyond the arc.

The Liberty had been anticipated to have the deepest bench in the league.

However, the Fever’s reserves outperformed them, scoring 31-14.

Given how poorly things unfolded, it’s puzzling why Bethnia Rainey Hamilton and Rebecca Gardner remained on the bench.

New York was desperate for a solution, but aside from Stewart, nothing clicked.

Clark mentioned having to extend player minutes if needed for a game, but it just didn’t pan out. The Fever effectively sealed the Liberty’s fate in that pivotal third quarter.

Now, the Liberty has lost eight out of their last ten games, standing at 13-12 with two games left before the All-Star break.