Even after the miss, the Liberty had a chance.
Sabrina Ionescu’s deep 3-pointer had bounced off.
Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, a primary reason why they were able to crawl back into this game in the first place with her 20 points, had chased down the offensive rebound.
But as Laney-Hamilton went to reset the offense, giving the Liberty a chance for one final shot to turn a one-point deficit into a late lead, the ball bounced off her foot.
It careened over the mid-court line for a backcourt violation.
The Fever made their free throws.
The Liberty’s last-second heave bounced off.
And that, after the chaotic finish, secured one of the biggest upsets against the Liberty this season.
The Liberty, the No. 1 team in the standings, fell to the Fever, just on the outside of the playoffs, 83-78 on Saturday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Caitlin Clark made history by recording the first triple-double by a rookie in league history.
She assisted on Lexie Hull’s layup that served as the game-winning shot.
Sandy Brondello had cautioned that the Fever were a more difficult challenge than earlier in the season, and she was right.
In four meetings this season, the Liberty have already experienced plenty of Clark history.
They were the opponent for her home opener at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Two days later, they, again, occupied the other bench as she recorded her best quarter and eventual career-high of her young career.
And Saturday, in their final meeting against Clark and the Fever during the regular season, the Liberty allowed the No. 1 overall pick to collect 19 points, 12 rebounds and 13 assists — becoming the first WNBA rookie ever to record a triple-double.
This game, their 21st in a 40-game slate, will be remembered for Clark’s milestone and for the Fever’s first true statement victory.
She scored 11 points in the first quarter, starting with a 3-pointer on the first possession — despite a competitive closeout defensively — and another one in transition later in the frame.
Three of Clark’s assists were recorded across the first 10 minutes, too.
And that helped give the Fever an early advantage.
There was the 10-1 start by Indiana.
The Liberty deficit swelled to as much as 12 in the first quarter.
After winning the first three matchups against the Fever this season by a combined 83 points, and despite leading all of those by a combined 38 points after the first quarter, the Liberty didn’t lead until just 2:50 remained until halftime.
Eventually, the Liberty were able to mitigate Clark’s scoring impact until a three-point play in the final two minutes that pulled the Fever within 75-72.
She went the entire third quarter without scoring.
And she eventually dished a pass to Mitchell in transition for a game-tying 3 with 2:30 left
The Liberty had found a way to overcome their early deficit.
They found a way to build a commanding lead of their own.
They found a way, until the game’s final moments, to allow Clark to make some more history and still inch closer to a win.
But then they had the final turnover.
The final missed shot by Ionescu in the final seconds that would’ve tied it before the Fever’s final free two throws.
Clark, at first, made some more history.
And that helped make an upset — one of the more unexpected in the WNBA so far this year — possible.