Caitlin Clark's near-triple-double in her return ends the NY Liberty winning streak

Over the past five games, the Indiana Fever has been navigating life without superstar guard Caitlin Clark. Clark suffered a left quad strain during a May 24 game against the New York Liberty and has been rehabbing.

Before suffering her injury, Clark led the Fever in points per game (19.0) and assists per game (9.3). Her 9.3 assists per game lead the WNBA.

Indiana struggled to find consistency without her and dropped three of five games. They fell to third in the Eastern Conference and seventh in the WNBA.

On Friday, the organization announced that Clark would return to the court for Saturday's game against the New York Liberty. She did not skip a beat.

Clark lit up the scoreboard and stuffed the stat sheet in her first game since suffering a left quad injury.

Clark dominated from start to finish, pouring in a team-leading 25 points by halftime, including a stretch where she scored nine points in 38 seconds.

The New York Liberty set the tone to begin the second half, but the Fever went on a 17-0 run in the third quarter and never looked back.

The Fever led by as many as 16 points and finished off the Liberty 102-88, ending their nine-game winning streak. The Fever's 102 points are the most the Liberty have allowed all season. They lead the WNBA in opponents' points per game, allowing only 71.1

Clark led the way with 32 points, including seven made three-pointers, a career high. She also added eight rebounds and nine assists in the win.

Kelsey Mitchell added 22 points, and Aliyah Boston had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds to help the Fever return to a .500 record (5-5).

Clark showed no signs of rust in her return to the court and stated that is how the Indiana Fever should play. The Fever return to action on Tuesday, June 17, at 6:00 p.m. Central Time against the Connecticut Sun at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

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