INDIANAPOLIS — After recording a franchise-record 45 points and 10 assists in a comeback win over the Seattle Storm on Friday, Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark came back down to earth Saturday in the Fever’s 108-88 victory over the New York Liberty.

Clark finished with 17 points and seven assists, while teammate Kelsey Mitchell paced the team with a game-high 33 points. The Fever notched their second straight win and fourth in five games. The Liberty, meanwhile, have lost four straight.

Clark’s first back-to-back in two years

Clark’s participation in Friday and Saturday’s games marked her first back-to-back in over two years. Until this week, she hadn’t played in a back-to-back since 2024, her rookie season, after being limited to 13 games last year due to various injuries and managing persistent back issues this year.

“I woke up feeling probably as good as I could have,” Clark said before Saturday’s game. “Sometimes it’s different as you get moving a little bit, but I feel good and I’m happy with that.”

Just over 24 hours after becoming the first player in WNBA history to register 40-plus points and 10 assists in a single game, Clark took a significant step forward in her health by suiting up Saturday. The three-time All-Star provided a few highlights, including two and-1s in the second half, but shot just 5 of 14 from the field and 2 of 8 on 3s in 26 minutes. She also coughed up seven turnovers.

Mitchell kept the Fever offense humming. The four-time All-Star scored 14 points in the third quarter as Indiana outscored the Liberty 30-12 to take a 14-point lead into the fourth quarter. Mitchell provided arguably the play of the game when she drilled a pull-up 3-pointer while being fouled by the Liberty’s Breanna Stewart with just under four minutes left in the game. The 4-point play gave Mitchell her fourth 30-point game of the season, tied for the most in a single season in franchise history, and extended her franchise record to 15 30-point outings.

“I’m not a stat person. I think, obviously, you play to win a game, and that comes with scoring points,” Mitchell said after the game. “I appreciate it, but it ultimately comes down to not wanting to give in too much and not getting too high or not getting too low. I think that (if) you get too high into it, then you lose your mind, and so I don’t want to lose my mind.”

Aliyah Boston, also a four-time All-Star, returned from a one-game absence due to a lower right leg injury and chipped in 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists in 24 minutes. Sophie Cunningham added 11 points off the bench, punctuated by three 3s.

The Liberty, a perennial title contender in recent years, have lost eight of their last 10 (excluding their Commissioner’s Cup championship victory, which does not count toward the regular-season standings).

New York built a 13-point lead in the second quarter, but the Fever cut that lead to four by halftime. The Liberty were unable to find much offensive success after the break. Stewart poured in a team-high 26 points on 10-of-16 shooting, but she missed five of her nine free throws. Jonquel Jones and Sabrina Ionescu were limited to just 13 and 12 points, respectively.

“I thought our defense was really good in the second half, particularly in that third quarter,” Fever coach Stephanie White said. “It takes some pressure off of our offense to be perfect. I thought our activity level was really good. Our attention to detail was really good.”

To compound their troubles, Liberty guard Marine Johannes left the game in the fourth quarter with what appeared to be a left ankle injury after she stepped on Fever guard Tyasha Harris’ foot. She grimaced as she was helped back to the locker room, flanked by a teammate and trainer. Johannes scored all 12 of her points on four 3-pointers in the first quarter and played 18 minutes.

Clark assessed sixth technical

Clark was assessed a technical foul in the first quarter and now has six technical fouls this season. If she reaches eight, she’ll receive a WNBA-mandated one-game suspension.

Clark picked up a technical foul after she was leveled on a screen by Jones. The play was a no-call, but Clark took exception to the physicality and yelled at the closest official. Stewart drained the ensuing technical foul free throw to give New York a 9-2 lead with 8:29 left in the first quarter.

“I didn’t ask for an explanation. I think there was a reaction (from Clark),” White said. “… But yeah, there certainly are conversations (with her) and there have to be conversations. It’s a long season … so making sure we’re strategic in using our technical fouls.”

Earlier this season, Clark said she wouldn’t change her approach after she picked up her fifth technical foul in a win over the Phoenix Mercury last month. In that contest, Clark was assessed a technical foul for loudly clapping in the direction of Mercury players during a skirmish, which White said the officials deemed as taunting.

“We should all just go on the calendar now and pick a game that I’m gonna be suspended for if I’m gonna get technicals for clapping,” Clark said after that game.

The Fever have previously appealed Clark’s technical fouls, but if this one is not rescinded, she’ll be tied with Mercury guard Kahleah Copper for the second-most technical fouls in the WNBA this season. Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese leads the league with seven.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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