Liberty Stay Perfect with Controversial Finish Over Fever in Indiana
INDIANAPOLIS — The reigning WNBA champions, the New York Liberty, escaped with a narrow 90-88 win over the Indiana Fever on Saturday night, remaining unbeaten — but not without controversy in the game’s final moments at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The closing seconds featured three pivotal calls that favored the Liberty, sparking frustration from Indiana players and coaches. First, DeWanna Bonner appeared to draw contact on a blocked shot by Natasha Cloud, but officials let play continue. Moments later, a foul was whistled on Lexie Hull as Sabrina Ionescu drove, sending the Liberty star to the line for the game-winning free throws. Without a timeout remaining, Indiana couldn’t challenge the call.
The Fever had one final shot at redemption, but Cloud stripped the ball from Caitlin Clark in the closing moments. Clark looked to the officials for a foul, but didn’t get the call.
Fever head coach Stephanie White didn’t hold back in her postgame comments, especially regarding the no-call on Bonner's attempt.
“I thought it was blatant. Honestly, it was hard to miss,” White said. She added that the call against Hull felt “disrespectful,” noting the offensive player initiated contact. “We’re not asking for special treatment. Just consistency.”
Clark, who finished with 18 points and 10 assists despite 10 turnovers, said she needed to review the final play before commenting. However, she expressed frustration about the narrow defeats: “We’re two possessions from being 4-0. That stings, but we’ll grow from it.”
Indiana dropped to 2-2, having now suffered back-to-back losses by a total of just three points. Despite a strong third quarter — where Clark broke her three-point drought and closed with a buzzer-beating 34-footer — the Fever couldn’t hang on. A scoreless drought of more than four minutes in the fourth gave New York the window it needed.
Aliyah Boston led the Fever with 27 points and 13 boards. Meanwhile, Jonquel Jones powered the Liberty with 26 points and 12 rebounds.
New York, now 3-0, heads home to host the Golden State Valkyries in back-to-back games next week. Head coach Sandy Brondello praised her team’s resilience: “We’ve been through games like this before. It got messy, but we stuck together and got the job done with late-game defense.”
The Liberty capitalized at the line, hitting 25 of 32 free throws compared to Indiana’s 11 of 15. The two teams are set to meet again on June 14 in Indiana, followed by two matchups in New York in July.
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