Breaking: In the Fever’s thrilling victory over Liberty, Caitlin Clark c……

In the Fever’s thrilling victory over Liberty, Caitlin Clark creates WNBA history.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — In an 83-78 victory over New York on Saturday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Caitlin Clark recorded the first triple-double by a rookie in WNBA history and ended the Fever’s nine-game losing run against the Liberty.

For Indiana (9-13), Clark finished with 19 points, 13 assists, and 12 rebounds. The No. 1 choice in the WNBA draft almost avoided a triple-double in a road victory over the Phoenix Mercury two games prior, falling short by one rebound.

It’s extremely cool, of course, added Clark. “My colleagues have been completing passes quite quickly. My help figures are a result of them.

Indiana coach Christie Sides was impressed by Clark and the fact that the Fever outscored the Liberty by 12 in the final period.

“Caitlin with a triple-double, my gosh, that’s incredible,” she said after the game. “Holding New York to 16 points in the fourth quarter, that’s huge for us. That’s the No. 1 team in the league.”

Clark had 11 points in the first quarter, making 3 of 4 from 3-point range. She topped double figures in assists in the third quarter and passed the 10-rebound mark in the fourth.

Clark had a three-point play and Kelsey Mitchell followed with a 3-pointer to tie the game at 75 with 2:31 to go. Aliyah Boston scored off a steal by Mitchell to give Indiana a two-point lead and Lexie Hull’s reverse layup increased the lead to 79-75 at the 1:24 mark.

New York’s Sabrina Ionescu answered with a 3-pointer but missed one the next time down the court with a chance to give the Liberty the lead. Boston made two free throws with 17 seconds left and Mitchell hit two with 11 seconds remaining to wrap up the upset.

New York made only 10 of 42 attempts from beyond the arc.

“We defended well the whole game,” Boston said. “Those last few minutes, especially those last few possessions, were great for us.”

Boston scored 18 points on 8-for-12 shooting and had eight rebounds for the Fever. Mitchell scored 14, topping double figures for the ninth-straight game. NaLyssa Smith, the second overall pick in the 2022 draft, added 12 points and 11 rebounds for her fifth double-double this season.

Ionescu scored 22 to lead New York (17-4), which had won five straight games. Betnijah Laney-Hamilton finished with 20 points, making four 3-pointers. Breanna Stewart added 14 points, six rebounds and six assists. Jonquel Jones had 12 rebounds to go with six points and three steals.