Sabrina Ionescu taunts Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever after losing (Credit: New York Liberty, Caitlin Clark/Instagram)

Sabrina Ionescu was on the receiving end of an outstanding performance by rookie Caitlin Clark after the Indiana Fever dismantled the New York Liberty, 83-78, on Saturday night in Indianapolis.

With the win, the Indiana Fever snapped a nine-game losing streak to the Liberty, who owns the best record in the WNBA today. Fuming from the disappointing loss, Ionescu didn’t hold back her thoughts when asked about how the game turned out for them and the Fever in the post-game press conference.

The 26-year-old guard suggested that the game meant more to the Fever and that the Liberty came out one step slower.

“We played Liberty basketball, but understanding, this is their Super Bowl game. We’ve beaten them three times this year already. We knew they were gonna come into this game really hungry, and it’s tough to beat a team four times,” said Ionescu.

Ionescu then praised the growth the Fever had throughout the season after losing their first five games and struggling to find their identity early on.

“It’s just tough in our league, especially with how every team has grown, and especially this young team,” Ionescu said. “We’ve been able to see how much they’ve grown, just throughout the first half of the season.

New York has been dominant against the Fever in their first three matchups this season, routing Indiana by 36 points twice.

The loss caused the Liberty to slide to 17-4, just half a game behind the Connecticut Sun from the best record in the league. Meanwhile, the Fever improved to 9-13 and have won six of their last 10 games.

It was an astounding upset for the Fever, becoming only the fourth team this season to topple the Liberty. The game also stood as a showcase for the brewing rivalry of Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu and Fever’s Caitlin Clark.

Caitlin Clark beats Sabrina Ionescu’s triple-double record in Fever-Liberty game

Caitlin Clark not only pulled a shocking upset against the New York Liberty, but she also made history by becoming the first rookie in WNBA history to record a triple-double.

Clark tallied 19 points, 12 rebounds and 13 assists to lead the Fever in the stunning win. Now the only rookie to reach the feat, Clark also became the youngest player in the WNBA to record a triple-double.

At 22 years and 166 days old, she beat out Ionescu, who was the previous owner of the record when she was 23 years and 163 days old, per ESPN. Clark had 17 triple-doubles with the Iowa Hawkeyes in college, going 17-0. Last week, Clark almost completed the feat but missed out by one rebound, on June 30, against the Phoenix Mercury.

The triple-double accomplishment has spiced up the Rookie of the Year race between Caitlin Clark and Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese, who has now tied the WNBA’s record for most consecutive double-doubles in a season.

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Edited by Bhargav