Caitlin Clark Struggles as Indiana Fever Suffer Blowout Loss to New York Liberty

One night after a controversial win over the Chicago Sky, the Indiana Fever faced a 104-68 defeat at the hands of the New York Liberty on Sunday. Rookie sensation Caitlin Clark struggled mightily, shooting just 1 of 10 from the field, as the Liberty's stars, including Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu, dominated the game.

The Indiana Fever's season took a significant downturn on Sunday as they suffered a blowout loss to the New York Liberty, 104-68, just one night after a controversial victory over the Chicago Sky. The defeat was particularly disheartening for the Fever, as their highly-touted rookie, Caitlin Clark, had a dismal performance on the court.

Clark, the No. 1 overall pick in this year's WNBA draft, managed only three points, shooting a dismal 1 of 10 from the field, including 1 of 7 from three-point range. She added five assists, two rebounds, two steals, and one block, but her overall struggles were evident throughout the game.

Meanwhile, the Liberty's stars were in top form, leading the way to a resounding victory. Breanna Stewart contributed 13 points, six rebounds, and five assists, while Sabrina Ionescu added 16 points, six assists, and six rebounds. Jonquel Jones had a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton chipped in with 20 points, five assists, and two rebounds.

The Fever entered the game fresh off a hard-fought 71-70 win over the Sky, but the controversy surrounding that game seemed to linger in the background. Sky guard Chennedy Carter was seen hip-checking Clark during the game, and her teammate, Angel Reese, clapped for the hard foul, which was later upgraded to a flagrant 1 violation by the WNBA.

After the game, Carter avoided questions about Clark, but her feelings were later revealed through likes and reposts of social media posts defending her actions. Carter also ripped into Clark in a post on Threads, questioning her contributions beyond three-point shooting.

In a separate post, Carter responded to the clip of Reese celebrating the hard foul on Clark, saying, "my dawg fasho, got all my teammates." Amid the news of the league's upgraded penalty for Carter's foul, Reese was also fined $1,000 for skipping her postgame press conference, and the Sky were fined $5,000.

When asked about Carter's foul after the game, Clark responded calmly, saying, "I wasn't expecting it. It is what it is. It's a physical game. Go make the free throw and execute on offense, and I feel like that's kind of what we did."

While Clark attempted to take the high road, her general manager, Lin Dunn, and head coach, Christie Sides, expressed their concerns. Dunn wrote on X, "There's a difference between tough defense and unnecessary – targeting actions! It needs to stop! The league needs to 'cleanup' (sic) the c--p! That's NOT who this league is!!"

Sides added, "I'm trying not to get fined. I'm just going to keep sending these possessions to the league and these plays. Hopefully, they'll start to … take a better look at some of the things we see happening or we think is happening."

Clark's fans have taken to social media to criticize Carter for her actions, but Carter has responded by saying, "I'd rather you hate me then (sic) love me and I mean that on my dead aunt." She prefaced that by saying "I grew up with all brothers," so she loves "the hate more than the love."

Despite the poor start to the season by the Fever (2-9), Clark is the second player in WNBA history to have at least 100 points, 50 rebounds, and 50 assists in their first 10 games, joining Ionescu in that feat. She achieved the feat after collecting 11 points, eight rebounds, and three assists in the win over Chicago.

Despite her struggles on Sunday, Clark remains a target for opponents, and she will need to learn to navigate the challenges of being a highly-touted rookie in the WNBA. How she responds to these "welcome to the show" moments will be crucial for her development and the success of the Indiana Fever.