Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark wasted little time making her presence felt Tuesday against the New York Liberty.
After her eighth technical foul was rescinded on Saturday, Clark entered the matchup with plenty of attention on her. It did not take long for the three-time All-Star to give the WNBA world something else to talk about.
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About halfway through the second quarter, Clark pulled up from deep with Breanna Stewart in front of her. The result was a 28-foot 3-pointer that pushed the Fever‘s lead to 39-27 and immediately sparked a wave of reactions online.
Caitlin Clark Leaves Breanna Stewart Helpless With Ridiculous 3-Pointer, WNBA Community Erupts
The play began with Clark isolated on the right side after a pick-and-roll action forced the 6-foot-4 Stewart on her. The two-time MVP stayed between Clark and the basket but gave the Fever guard just enough room beyond the 3-point line.
Clark needed no second invitation.
She retreated behind the arc, rose over Stewart’s outstretched arms and calmly knocked down the long-range shot. The difficulty of the attempt, combined with Stewart’s presence as the defender, made the sequence stand out even more.
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The triple immediately drew reactions from the WNBA community.
“Caitlin Clark with the iso 3 vs Stewie she’s not playing fair tonight,” the Clark Report posted.
“CAITLIN CLARK IS RIDICULOUS. MAKES IT LOOK EASY,” the Hoop Central added.
“LOGO BOMB FROM CAITLIN CLARK – YOU BET,” an X user continued.
“Caitlin Clark is hitting threes on anyone & everyone,” another X user reacted.
“How can you defend this?” a WNBA observer wondered.
The shot was only one part of what had become a remarkable opening half for Clark.
She made an impact on Indiana’s first possession, dropping Pauline Astier before knocking down her first 3-pointer of the night. Clark then added another deep shot over New York’s 6-foot-11 center Han Xu, continuing to find ways to score despite the Liberty’s size and defensive attention.
By halftime, Clark had 18 points on 5-for-9 shooting, including a scorching 4-for-5 from 3-point range. Her offensive explosion helped Indiana take a commanding 64-46 lead into the break.
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The performance also continued a stretch of strong shooting that began Saturday against the Chicago Sky. In the Fever’s 90-86 victory, Clark scored 26 points while shooting 7-for-15, including 5 of 6 attempts from beyond 22 feet.
Tuesday’s performance against New York showed that the Fever star had carried that momentum into another high-profile matchup. And with Stewart among the defenders tasked with slowing her down, Clark’s deep shot became more than just another 3-pointer. It was an early statement in a game where Indiana’s offense had firmly seized control.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.
