Liberty Coach Assigns Blame After Loss Against Caitlin Clark, Fever
Liberty Coach Assigns Blame After Loss Against Caitlin Clark, Fever originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The New York Liberty did all they could to hold down Caitlin Clark in Sunday's matchup against the Indiana Fever at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Advertisement
Clark, however, had other plans. In her first game back after a five-game injury absence, the reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year exploded for a season-high 32 points, eight rebounds and nine assists to lead the Fever to a 102-88 win over the defending champions.
After the game, Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello got brutally honest about how her team responded to Clark's hot shooting night. According to the New York shot-caller, it was her squad's ineffectiveness on the defensive end that ultimately led to their first loss of the season.
"Credit to Indiana, I thought they did a really good job here," Brondello said, via Michael Voepel of ESPN. "We had our moments ... we had that run where [Breanna Stewart] was guarding Caitlin Clark. But then they executed well, and we had so many breakdowns in defense.
"They made shots, they really punished us at that end, making 17 3s."
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) celebrates during a game. Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
Seven of Indiana's 17 makes from downtown came courtesy of Clark. The Liberty came into the game with a game plan against Clark, but as Brondello said, they just weren't able to execute.
Advertisement
Clark caught fire early in the game, knocking down three straight triples in the opening quarter. She kept her foot on the gas to finish with 25 points in the half.
Clark scored just seven more points after the break, but Indiana held on to what could very well be their most important win of the season thus far.
These two teams face off twice in one week on July 16 and 22, and based on her comments here, it appears that Brondello and her coaching staff will do everything they can to make sure that the Liberty are ready for Clark and Co. when they take to the court again.
Related: WNBA Makes Caitlin Clark Announcement After Fever's Win Against Liberty
Related: Pat McAfee Had One Word for Caitlin Clark on Saturday
Related: Stephanie White Puts Caitlin Clark, Fever on Notice After Win Against Liberty
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 16, 2025, where it first appeared.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Caitlin Clark's Outfit Choice at NBA Game Catches Attention
Caitlin Clark's Outfit Choice at NBA Game Catches Attention originally appeared on Athlon Sports. On Friday evening, basketball fans assembled at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis to see if the Indiana Pacers would take a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Advertisement The Pacers had scored a rock-solid 116-107 win in Game 3 on Wednesday, but Game 4 was a different story, as they fell short by a final score of 111-104. The championship series is tied at two games apiece and has now become essentially a best-of-three series. Caitlin Clark of the WNBA's Indiana Fever was in attendance for Game 4, just as she was for Game 3. She had an interesting new look, as she wore a pair of glasses on this night. Fans reacted on X to that new look. "THE GLASSES?" one fan wrote. "HELLO" "CAITLIN CLARK KENT AHH," another fan wrote. "Caitlin Clark 👋⭐️," a third user wrote. "Caitlin has had these glasses for quite some time now!" another user wrote. "What are you talkin about?" a fifth user wrote. "Thanks not Caitlin Clark, that's Caitlin Kent, reporter for the Daily Planet." "the glasses omg i can't," another user wrote. "Glasses Caitlin," a seventh user wrote. "Pacers by 30." In Game 4 on Friday, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the NBA's regular-season MVP, rose to the occasion by scoring 15 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter. Jalen Williams had 27 points, and super sub Alex Caruso came off the bench to add 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field and five steals. Caitlin Clark attends the 2025 NBA Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn ImagesKyle Terada-Imagn Images Clark has missed the Fever's last five games due to a strained quad. However, she is reportedly expected to return on Saturday when they host Sabrina Ionescu and the defending WNBA champion New York Liberty. Advertisement The Fever currently have a 4-5 record and need to start stacking together wins in order to put themselves in position to have a deep playoff run. They came into this season considered legitimate championship contenders. Related: Caitlin Clark's Appearance at NBA Finals Draws Indiana Fever Reaction This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 14, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Charles Barkley Makes Prediction on Thunder-Pacers NBA Finals
Charles Barkley Makes Prediction on Thunder-Pacers NBA Finals originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday was another relatively close contest between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder. It went back and forth, but down the stretch, Oklahoma City flexed its defensive muscles and tied the series with a 111-104 victory. Advertisement There was a sense that it was in trouble after losing Game 3 by nine points. Instead, it is essentially a new best-of-three series in which the Thunder have home-court advantage with Game 5 and Game 7 (if necessary) taking place at Paycom Center. There seems to be a sense among plenty that the series is up for grabs at this point. But Turner Sports personality Charles Barkley feels it is a foregone conclusion that the Thunder will claim the NBA championship. "I think they're (the Thunder) in trouble because when you have a team on the ropes, you gotta finish them off," Barkley said after Game 4. "... Now they're back to their original starting lineup, which will be better next game. ... We're back to the thing that got us to the NBA Finals. ... We (Pacers) can dominate them on the boards like we did." "... I think this series is a wrap." On Friday, Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander validated why he was named the league MVP for this season. He scored 35 points, with 15 of them coming in the fourth quarter, and his team's defense held the fast-breaking Pacers to just 44 points in the second half. Advertisement Meanwhile, Tyrese Haliburton of the Pacers, who has come up with lots of heroics throughout the playoffs, had 18 points and five turnovers. Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) shoots the ball against Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) during the first half during game three of the 2025 NBA Terada-Imagn Images One key, as Barkley alluded to, in this game was rebounding. The Thunder were plus-10 on the boards, allowing them to score 23 second-chance points, and they also made nine more free throws. They got plenty of help, especially from Jalen Williams, who had 27 points, and super sub Alex Caruso, who scored 20 points on just nine shot attempts. Game 5 will be back in Oklahoma City on Monday, and it could very well determine this season's world champions. Related: Caitlin Clark's Outfit Choice at NBA Game Catches Attention This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 14, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton Breaks Eye-Opening Streak in NBA Finals Game 4
Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton Breaks Eye-Opening Streak in NBA Finals Game 4 originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The postseason run that Tyrese Haliburton has been on can't really be summed up in stats. He has averaged 18.6 points, 9.4 assists and 5.9 rebounds in the Pacers' 19 playoff games, and his shooting percentages (47.3% from the field and 34.3% from the 3-point line) have been solid enough, but Haliburton's string of magical shots and moments, first against the Bucks, then Cavaliers and Knicks and now, the Thunder, can't be reduced to numbers. Advertisement It's all been rather stressful for him. "You're playing in the NBA Finals. There should be a higher sense of urgency, a higher level of stress," he said. "Your spit should taste different. All those things, right? This is a lot of fun. This is a lot of fun. "After games, I'm struggling to sleep -- good games and bad games. I'm watching a ton of film. I'm doing, us as a group, we're texting more in the group chat about basketball-related things more than we probably ever have. This is a lot of fun. You don't want to take these moments for granted." Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) reacts to a play during the fourth quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder in game three of the 2025 NBA Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images If there is a number that has been worthy of special attention here in the Finals, as Game 4 of the series got underway with the Pacers seeking a 3-1 series lead, it is this one: 0. Advertisement That's how many free throws Haliburton was granted in the first three games of the series. Yes, despite 53 points scored and 43 shots attempted in the series, Haliburton came into Game 4 without a free-throw on the docket. And we're not saying made free throws. It's free-throw attempts. But with 28 seconds to go in the second quarter of a tight Game 4, it finally happened for Haliburton: He was fouled by Alex Caruso on a made two-footer. Haliburton stepped to the line and made what was, at long last, his first free-throw attempt in 13 days. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 14, 2025, where it first appeared.
