New York Liberty Women beat Indiana Fever 109 to 102 in the Women's NBA on Friday night. The result keeps New York third in the standings with twenty-four wins and sixteen losses, while Indiana remain second on twenty-six victories.
And here's the thing — the Liberty's biggest lead reached ten points, something Indiana never managed themselves. They only ever got as far as two. By then you could see who wanted it more, even if the score stayed close.
New York turned it around after the break, holding firm when the game could have slipped away. They made the difference with their shooting — eleven three-pointers each side, but the hosts were steadier from the line, twenty-four out of twenty-nine compared to Indiana's eleven out of twenty-two.
The statistics tell a story of two teams running at each other. New York had thirty-four rebounds to Indiana's twenty-seven, and they scored fifty-two points in the paint against forty-six. But the Fever got in behind more often, with seventeen points off turnovers compared to New York's five.
By then the standings hadn't shifted, but you could feel the tension. New York have not won since their last meeting with Indiana back on August eleventh, and this time they finally got the better of them. The gap in the table remains two games, but tonight belonged to the home side.