New York Started Fast, Then Had to Stay Honest

The Liberty led 33-26 after a first quarter in which they shot 65 percent, and that start briefly made the game look like another New York home performance with the volume turned up. Indiana answered immediately. The Fever outscored New York 23-20 in the second quarter, then kept the game within reach through the third.

New York still led 85-78 after three, but the lead was not protection. It was an invitation for Indiana’s stars to make the final period uncomfortable.

Fiebich Returned to the Exact Problem New York Needed Solved

Leonie Fiebich had missed seven weeks, then came back with 20 points, five rebounds, and five assists in 34 minutes. Jonquel Jones added 19 points and 10 rebounds, Breanna Stewart scored 22, and Sabrina Ionescu finished with 12.

Indiana supplied plenty of counterweight. Kelsey Mitchell scored 25 points and extended her streak of 20-point games to 22. Caitlin Clark added 21 points and seven assists, while Aliyah Boston scored 22. This was not a night when New York could simply point at one star and call the paperwork complete.

The Last Two Minutes Belonged to the Details

Mitchell’s three-pointer tied the game at 100 with 1:44 left. From there, Stewart made a free throw and Fiebich drove for a basket to make it 103-100 with 58 seconds remaining. Indiana got another chance, but Clark missed two free throws, and New York completed the escape.

The Liberty made 24 of 29 free throws. Indiana made 11 of 22. That is the difference between a comeback that looks inevitable and one that ends up needing a replay review from every fan in Brooklyn.

The Fourth Quarter Was a Tie, Not a Collapse

The Desk’s Fourth-quarter competence grade was a C because the teams tied the period 24-24. That sounds ordinary until the context arrives: Indiana tied the game, and New York still managed the final possessions without allowing the emotional weather to become a second opponent.

The Liberty did not dominate the ending. They handled it. Fiebich’s return gave them another answer, and the foul line gave them enough margin to use it.

The Official Overreaction

New York’s title standard does not hand out medals for surviving a 109-102 game at home. It will, however, accept a returning starter, a 24-of-29 night at the line, and two late possessions that stayed clean when the game got loud.

Indiana lost the score but won the argument that this matchup is still a problem for New York. The Liberty simply remembered to bring a calculator.