Caitlin Clark Bombed from the Parking Lot — & Still Had to Beat the Liberty & the Zebras

This game had everything one could ask for.

A huge third-quarter eruption.

A fourth-quarter collapse.

A triple-double with ten turnovers. And a superstar point guard staring down a WNBA champion with the game on the line.

In the end, it was the New York Liberty’s, Jonquel Jones and Sabrina Ionescu who broke Indiana’s heart.

The Liberty’s vets made the plays that mattered—Jones with a ruthless 26-point, 12-board clinic, and Ionescu icing it with two free throws at the buzzer.

Caitlin Clark? She made history. Routinely making Gainbridge Fieldhouse erupt. And then, on the final play, she got stripped.

3rd Quarter Fire, 4th Quarter Freeze

For 10 magical minutes in the third quarter, it looked like the Indiana Fever might actually pull off a win against the New York Liberty.

The reigning WNBA champions, we’re looking outplayed. They were looking defeated, and they were looking ran out the gym. Clark—who’d missed 12 straight threes over two games—finally lit the torch, in the final minutes of the quarter and said enough.

First came a four-point play off her patented (sorry, James Harden) stepback at the top of the arc.

Then moments later, pulled up from the state line for a 33-foot buzzer-beater that detonated Gainbridge Fieldhouse like a volcano on pressurized delay.

The Fever outscored the defending WNBA champions 30–13 in the third.
The crowd was ballistic.
Clark was heat-checking.
Aliyah Boston? feating.

Boston finished with Boston finished with 27 points (12-of-19 FG, 63%), 13 boards, two assists, a block and zero fear. She dominated Jonquel Jones, owned the paint, and sprinted the floor like she had rocket fuel in her shoes.

Let’s make one thing very clear: Indiana did not lose this game because of Boston

 

“I’m really just out there hooping,” Boston said. “Just making sure I’m consistent in scoring, defending, and grabbing rebounds.”

But she also called out the foul trouble.

 

“We gave them 25 points from the FT line,” she said. “If you take away 25 or even half of that, it’s a different game.”

No lies detected.

Mitchell was cooking too, dropping 15 points, dishing four assists, and knocking down a pair of threes.

It was chaos. It was beauty. It was Indiana basketball.

And then? Stephanie White summed it best, they stopped doing all the things that got them there.

 

“When we were up 12,” said head coach Stephanie White, “we gotta continue to do what got us here… move the ball, hit singles, not make home run plays… The margin for error playing against championship teams is so small” said white.

The Liberty tightened the screws.

When Indiana blinked, Jonquel Jones made sure Indiana paid for every mistake.

Jones, final stat line: 26 points, 12 rebounds, and two mean-mugging ruthless threes in the clutch that felt personal. With this performance Jones made history too as she is now one of just five players in Liberty franchise history with multiple 25/10 games.

Sabrina Ionescu? Ice. Sealed it from the line with :02 left. Stole the game without ever panicking.

Sabrina Ionescu hit back-to-back daggers. New York unleashed a 14-2 run that evaporated the cushion and slapped Indiana back into a tie game.

“I Thought She Got Fouled.”

Then came the final possession.

Game 90-88. Indiana down by 2.

2.9 seconds left.

Fever ball. Stephanie White allows her superstar cook.

Clark tries to make a move and Natasha Cloud meets her step for step. Ball gets stripped clean—or maybe not.

 

“We were looking for something going to the rim,” White said. “This is part of our growth process… I felt like we missed an opportunity there.”

Did Clark get fouled?

 

“I thought she got fouled,” White snapped. “I think it’s pretty egregious, what’s happening to us the last two games. The disrespect for our team has been pretty unbelievable.”

White is done with diplomacy.

 

“There’s a system, to making sure we can send stuff in and communicate our grievances,” she said. “I don’t ever feel like the system works. We’re not looking for a change, we’re looking for consistency.”

Clark, in true media-trained Jedi mode:

“I haven’t watched it yet… I have to go back and watch… I don’t know.”

Caitlin Clark’s Triple-Double Was Loud, Messy, and Historic

Let the record show: Caitlin Clark had one of her messiest games of the year—and still made history.

Final line: 18 points, 10 assists, 5 rebounds, 10 turnovers.

That’s a triple-double with chaos.

And somehow, Clark still made history: Fastest player in WNBA history to reach 750+ points, 250+ rebounds, and 250+ assists. Passed Chelsea Gray for most double-doubles by a guard in league history. 15 career 10+ assist games, the most ever in a player’s first two seasons.

Additionally, Clark went 2-for-11 from deep. Had some brutal giveaways—including a tenth turnover that made her the first player in WNBA history with multiple 10+ turnover games. Her late-game reads? A work in progress.

To her credit, Clark sparked the third quarter rally that almost buried New York, and scored during clutch time to keep Indiana in the contest.

“Tough shooting night,” Clark admitted. “But it happens. I thought I played well in the third quarter… just keep shooting it.”

White’s not concerned.

“She’s going to find her way out of it,” White said. “We have to find a way to give her easier ones… move her around in different actions.”

The Takeaway

Furthermore, Clark still believes in her team.

 

“We are two possessions from being 4-0… We have to find a way to come out with more energy.”

She’s right.

This team is 2-2. But it could just as easily be 4-0. Or 0-4. Every game’s a coin flip. Every quarter is a mood swing.

New York is 3-0. Indiana is 2-2.

But this isn’t about standings—it’s about stages.

The Liberty? Been there. Lost the Finals. Learned how to close.

The Fever? Still figuring out what “closing” means.

 

“Consistency is where we can be a lot better,” Clark said. “There’s going to be a learning curve.”

That curve’s steep. But if that third quarter was any sign, Indiana’s not that far off. They’re raw. They’re reckless. But they’re real.

If they ever put it all together? If Caitlin hits shots, if Boston eats, if Mitchell gets loose?

Watch. Out.

TL:DR

• Third-quarter magic, fourth-quarter heartbreak – Fever outscored the Liberty 30–13 in Q3, then fell apart late.

• Jonquel Jones went nuclear: 26 PTS, 12 REB, dagger threes.

• Caitlin Clark made history (again): 18 PTS, 10 AST, 10 TO, with a logo bomb and a costly final turnover.

• Aliyah Boston dominated: 27 PTS, 13 REB, pure grit.

• Sabrina Ionescu iced it at the line with :02 left.

• Stephanie White is done with the officiating: “Pretty egregious… disrespect for our team has been unbelievable.”

• Fever are 2–2, but could easily be 4–0… or 0–4.

• The verdict? Raw. Reckless. Real. Still learning how to close.