The last time the Indiana Fever and New York Liberty met, Stephanie White’s side completely overwhelmed New York, shooting 54% from the field and over 60% from beyond the arc en route to a convincing 106-92 win. Saturday night, however, was a completely different story, with Caitlin Clark once again finding herself at the heart of the conversation.

With 24 seconds left on the clock, Clark was sent to the free-throw line after a personal foul from Pauline Astier. The Liberty held a five-point lead at the time, meaning two made free throws would have brought the Fever within one possession. However, Clark missed both attempts.

She had also missed a three-pointer and committed a crucial foul just seconds earlier, and according to WNBA writer Robin Lundberg on X, the sequence appeared to leave the Fever star visibly frustrated and tired after the game.

“Caitlin Clark appeared fairly frustrated and tired in the postgame press conference but said there were ‘no excuses’ with the schedule. She spun the back-to-back as a positive to bounce back from the loss,” the tweet read.

Had the 24-year-old converted both shots, Indiana could have made the final seconds far more interesting. Instead, New York stretched its advantage and handed the Fever their 14th loss of the season. Clark also drew criticism from her national team coach, Kara Lawson, who was in attendance for the game.

“This is playoff basketball. I know this is a regular-season game, but all night it felt like that. It’s just a couple mistakes there by Clark late, right?” Lawson, who was part of the broadcast team, said. “The one emotional foul to put New York to the free-throw line and obviously misses the two free throws.”

Earlier this month, Clark found herself in the spotlight for the wrong reasons after missing two crucial free throws with seven seconds left in regulation against the Las Vegas Aces. The Fever held a three-point lead at the time, but the Aces rallied to force overtime before escaping with an 86-84 win.

While this game against the Liberty may raise further questions about Clark’s ability in the clutch, Indiana’s problems on Saturday went far beyond her missed free throws.

Liberty Show Fever Still Have Work to Do

The Liberty came into the game welcoming back Leonie Fiebich and Jonquel Jones from injury. Their return was immediately felt inside, with New York controlling the glass and outrebounding the Fever 34-27.

The Liberty went on to outscore the Fever 52-46 in the paint, shoot 50% from the field, and knock down 11 three-pointers. Breanna Stewart, Leonie Fiebich and Jonquel Jones were at the heart of it all, combining for 61 points.

But perhaps the biggest reason the Fever were unable to secure the win was their struggles at the free-throw line. The Fever converted just 11 of 22 attempts as a team, with Clark going 1-for-4 from the stripe.

The Liberty, on the other hand, went 24-for-29 from the free-throw line, which ultimately proved decisive as they walked away with a 109-102 victory.

To make matters worse for the Fever, forward Myisha Hines-Allen left the game late while holding her arm and headed straight to the locker room after recording seven rebounds against the 2024 champions. Coach White provided no update on her injury status.

But with the regular season entering its final stretch, there is little time for the Fever to dwell on what slipped away. Despite the loss, Caitlin Clark and Co. walked away with plenty of positives to build on as they head toward the playoffs.

Clark Refuses to Make Excuses, Looks Ahead After Fever Loss

The Fever are currently 2-2 on what was arguably their toughest road trip of the season, facing the Toronto Tempo, Atlanta Dream, Dallas Wings and New York Liberty.

And despite the disappointment of back-to-back losses, Clark is already looking at the final game as an opportunity to bounce back, as Lundberg pointed out.

“There are no excuses. Yeah, our schedule’s tough, and I think we play more back-to-backs than just about anybody in the league. But it is what it is,” Caitlin Clark said during her postgame interview. “And Chicago’s playing really good basketball.

I think for us, you have to look at it in a positive way. We’re coming off of a loss. It’s a great opportunity for us to go and finish this road trip on a win. That’s how I see it. And yeah, everybody’s tired, everybody’s sore, who cares. Figure out a way to make yourself feel better and suit up and go play.”

It is worth noting that even in the loss, there was a positive takeaway for Indiana. The Fever committed just nine turnovers, which is a significant improvement from the sloppier offensive performances that have hurt them at times this season.

Had the Fever been more efficient from the free-throw line, they had every chance of coming away with the win. The trio of Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston all finished with 20-plus points, showing that Indiana has the firepower to go toe-to-toe with one of the league’s top teams.

So if the Fever can clean up those smaller mistakes and turn more of those opportunities into points, they could become an even tougher team to deal with come playoff time.

Next up, the Fever will face the Chicago Sky before returning home, giving them one more chance to end their road trip with a win. ESPN has given Indiana a 65.1% chance of winning that matchup, so after two straight losses, the Fever will be looking to make the most of it.