INDIANAPOLIS — The Liberty have no excuse.
They hadn’t played a game since Sunday after travel disruption caused Thursday’s game in Dallas to be moved to Monday.
They had extra practice, additional time to prepare and more meetings to get everyone on the same page.
Breanna Stewart thought they were ready.
Roughly 12 hours later, the Liberty showed they were not.
Earlier in the day, Stewart said Saturday night’s game against the Fever was more about proving to themselves that the work is paying off than it was proving to others that the Liberty are a serious contender.
New York’s pride was on the line.
But things unraveled for the Liberty and they never recovered, falling to the fatigued Fever 108-88.
Breanna Stewart attempts a shot during the Liberty’s 108-88 loss to the Fever on July 18, 2026 in Indianapolis. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Embarrassing.
Disappointing.
Frustrating.
Demoralizing.
Pick your adjective.
The Fever were already starting to head home by the time the Liberty walked into the visiting press conference room more than 30 minutes after the game wrapped.
Their late arrival came after a lengthy postgame address where the departing message was about “coming together and finding a way,” Sabrina Ionescu said.
“Obviously, we’re in a little bit of a rut,” Ionescu said. “So I think it’s just trying to keep brainstorming what works, what we need to get better on and how to make a good push before All-Star break.”
The Liberty have lost eight of their last 10 games and are 13-12 with two games left before the break.
The Liberty led by four at halftime.
The Fever — playing on the second night of a back-to-back with Caitlin Clark on a minutes restriction — outscored them 30-12 in the third quarter.
Kelsey Mitchell had 14 of her 33 points in the quarter.
It was the same story, different game.
Caitlin Clark dribbles the ball during the Liberty’s July 18 loss to the Fever. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Liberty looked out of sorts.
The chemistry seemed off.
They weren’t able to weather a momentum swing.
They’re asking too much of Stewart.
It was never going to be sustainable.
New York committed 17 turnovers that resulted in 30 Fever points.
Indiana converted its eight offensive boards into 18 points.
The Fever looked every bit like a team playing for the second time in 24 hours.
And yet, the Liberty — who, again, hadn’t played in six days — couldn’t take advantage.
Marine Johannes defends against Aliyah Boston during the Liberty’s July 18 loss to the Fever. Imagn Images
New York’s third-quarter showing was pitiful.
The Liberty committed eight turnovers and eight fouls.
They shot 5-for-13 from the field.
The Fever slowed New York way down, shaking the Liberty out of rhythm.
“It’s more just about in the way that we’re losing and it sometimes kind of feels like we’re beating ourselves,” Ionescu said. “It’s a lot of stuff we can control. We’re coming from … blowing leads to then coming back after down three, it’s a lot of stuff that we kind of dig ourselves into these holes and I think now it’s trying to figure out why and how we can improve that and how we can get better.”
The Liberty have taken some injury hits.
They’re without Leonie Fiebich, who has a left foot injury, and Satou Sabally, who missed her seventh game because of concussion protocol.
It’s still no excuse for what transpired Saturday.
Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart defend Aliyah Boston during the Liberty’s July 18 loss to the Fever. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Liberty started the game strong.
They were raining 3s.
Ionescu, Jonquel Jones and Stewart each drained one.
Marine Johannes went a splashy 4-for-5 from deep in the first quarter.
The Liberty shot 7-for-9 from deep, but 2-for-10 inside the arc.
New York went 6-for-23 from beyond the arc in the final three quarters.
The Liberty’s bench was expected to be the deepest in the league.
But the Fever’s reserves outscored New York’s 31-14.
Betnijah Laney-Hamilton and Rebekah Gardner never left the Liberty’s bench, despite how poorly things were going.
New York needed something, anything, and never got it outside of Stewart.
“We’re searching,” coach Chris DeMarco said when asked about Laney-Hamilton and Gardner’s benchings. “We wanted to see what [Marine] Fauthoux had tonight and [Anneli] Maley played well in the last game. We can’t play everybody.”
The Liberty wanted to end the first chapter of the season on a high note.
Saturday wasn’t a great start in that pursuit.
“The feeling after a loss like this is like you gotta find a way to kind of stop bleeding,” a somber Stewart said. “One loss can’t turn into two, can’t turn into three and now four.”
