211 points, and one possession decided it
Two hundred and eleven points. That was the combined total at Barclays Center on Friday night, and the New York Liberty came out the right side of it, 109-102 over the Indiana Fever.
Breanna Stewart put up 22. Leonie Fiebich, back on the floor for the first time since July 3, added 20. Jonquel Jones went for 19 points and 10 rebounds.
The last two minutes were a mess of missed chances and free throws. Kelsey Mitchell tied it at 100 with a three from the wing, 1:44 on the clock. Stewart split a pair at the line. Indiana came up empty on the next trip. Then Fiebich scored through contact with 57.5 seconds left, and the building knew.
Caitlin Clark drove and missed the layup. Fiebich cleaned up the rebound. Pauline Astier got fouled with 29 ticks left and buried both. Game over.
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Six weeks of waiting for a full roster
Fiebich’s foot injury had kept her out since early July. Jones was also back, having sat out most of Tuesday’s game at Chicago with a sprained left ankle. For the first time in nearly six weeks, head coach Sandy Brondello had everyone available.
Jones wasted no time. The 6-foot-6 center had 17 points and seven boards by the break, with New York leading 53-49. The third quarter belonged to Sabrina Ionescu and Fiebich, who combined for 19 of the team’s 31 points in the period and stretched the lead to 85-78.
Indiana had three players clear 20. Mitchell finished with 25, Aliyah Boston 22, Clark 21. It still was not enough, which says something about how the Fever are defending right now.
Three games separate third from eighth
New York moves to 23-15. Indiana sits at 24-14, still ahead in the standings but no longer comfortable. The playoff picture from the third seed down to the eighth is packed into a handful of games, so a night like this swings more than it should in late August.
The Fever are four games into a five-game road trip crammed into eight days. Two wins, two losses so far. They close it out Sunday in Chicago. Myisha Hines-Allen limped off in the final minute and her status was still open after the game. New York hosts Golden State on Thursday.
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