Breanna Stewart and the New York Liberty proved once again that Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever still have a long way to go before they can be considered one of the premier teams in the WNBA .
On the heels of losing by 21 points to the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday, the Fever suffered another blowout defeat in Thursday’s home opener, falling to the Liberty 102-66 in front of a sellout crowd of 17,247.
As the Fever looked to pull within single-digits in the closing three minutes of the second quarter, Clark dished the ball to teammate Aliyah Boston on a pick-and-roll behind the arc. The 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year drove to the basket but was promptly met by Stewart , who emphatically rejected her layup before tumbling to the floor.
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Stewart continued to dominate for much of the night, finishing with 10 rebounds, four assists and 31 points while making 12 of her 21 shots. Clark, meanwhile, continued to struggle in the early stages of her rookie season, shooting 2-of-8 from the field and just 1-of-7 from 3-point range.
As to how the Liberty shut down Clark, NCAA’s Division I all-time scoring leader, Stewart gave all the credit to her teammates. "Shoutout to B [ Sabrina Ionescu ], shoutout to KT [Kayla Thornton], really all of our guards that got lined up on her," she said after the game. "They made it really difficult for her tonight. We had the awareness of where she was, and we followed the game plan."
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Earlier this year, Stewart drew the ire of Iowa fans when she argued Clark shouldn’t be considered the greatest-of-all-time if she didn't win a national championship. At the time, the Hawkeyes were getting ready to face off against UConn in the Final Four.
"Yeah. She does [need to win a title to be considered one of the greats]," Stewart said. "I think so. ... Because then, you're gonna look 10 years back and you're gonna see all the records she's broken and the points and stuff like that. But anybody knows your goal when you play college basketball is to win a national championship. So, you need one."
Iowa ultimately fell just short of winning a national title, losing to South Carolina 87-75. It marked the second consecutive season that Clark reached the championship game, though she and the Hawkeyes suffered defeats in both contests.
Ahead of the 2024 WNBA Draft - during which Clark was selected by the Fever with the No. 1 overall pick - Stewart partially walked back her previous statement by giving the 22-year-old her due praise.
"I think she's a great player,” Stewart said of Clark. “I think it'll be really exciting to see her go to the WNBA because a lot will translate. The thing that's going to translate the quickest and fastest for her is her shot making ability. She can make it from wherever. That doesn't go away."
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