Caitlin Clark’s Explosive Comeback Shakes Up WNBA: Can Indiana Fever’s Stunning Upset Signal a New Era?

Well, the unbeaten streak of the New York Liberty finally came to an end, and what a game it was! Caitlin Clark, back from that pesky left quadriceps injury that had sidelined her for five games, didn’t just return—she absolutely erupted on the court. Dropping a sensational 32 points along with nine assists and eight rebounds, Clark led the Indiana Fever to a hard-fought 102-88 triumph over the 9-1 Liberty. Watching her knock down a flurry of three-pointers in mere seconds to seal a halftime lead was a sight to behold — the most points she’s ever scored in a half in her WNBA career! The Fever, fueled by Clark’s career-high seven 3-pointers, didn’t stop there; they answered every Liberty rally, including a punishing 19-0 run in the third quarter that truly turned the tide. Kelsey Mitchell’s clutch shooting late in the game wrapped things up nicely for Indiana, punctuating a team effort that shattered expectations and tested New York’s resilience. Yeah, this one was more than a game—it was a statement. LEARN MORE

Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Josh on X: @JoshOnREFFever guard Kelsey Mitchell helped key Indiana icing the win late. Mitchell finished with 22 points on a 9-for-21 shooting day, including 10 fourth-quarter points on a pair of 3-pointers and two more jumpers in the game’s final 6:42.The Iowa alum sank six first-half 3-pointers and knocked down a career-high tying seven from beyond the arc. Clark finished 11-of-20 shooting from the floor and 7-of-14 from 3-point distance.Indiana shot 48.1% from the field and connected on 17 3-pointers. Meanwhile, the Liberty were limited to just six threes and 20.7% shooting from beyond the arc.

The New York Liberty are unbeaten no more.

Caitlin Clark returned from the left quadriceps injury that sidelined her for each of the Indiana Fever’s past five games and proceeded to erupt for 32 points, nine assists and eight rebounds as Indiana (5-5) downed New York (9-1), 102-88.

But, like the rest of the afternoon, the Fever had another answer for New York. Indiana rode a closing 17-6 scoring run to capture the defining victory.Indiana carried an 80-71 lead into the fourth. The Liberty sliced the deficit down to 85-82 after a pair of Sabrina Ionescu free throws with 6:00 remaining.

Indiana guard Lexie Hull added 14 points with a trio of threes and Fever forward Aliyah Boston scored 10 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and assisted six times. Fever guard Sydney Colson chipped in with 10 points off the Indiana bench.The 6-foot superstar exploded for a trio of 3-pointers in the span of 38 seconds to close the first half en route to a 53-50 halftime lead. Clark scored 25 points in the first half, which was the most of any half in her WNBA career thus far.

Then, after the defending WNBA champs responded with a 9-0 run to begin the second half, the Fever counterpunched with their own 19-0 third-quarter spurt.