'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The New York Liberty defeated Sophie Cunningham's Indiana Fever 98-77 on Wednesday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Cunningham finished with 12 points and four rebounds on 5-for-12, including 2-for-8 from 3-point range. She also had a steal and three turnovers in 26 minutes. Cunningham started her first game this season, and she has now scored in double figures in four straight games.
With the loss, Indiana dropped to 12-11 and its three-game winning streak was snapped. The Fever were without Caitlin Clark, who missed the game due to a groin issue.
Trending
With Clark out, Fever coach Stephanie White made changes to her starting lineup. Cunningham started in place of Lexie Hull, while Aari McDonald was re-inserted.
Cunningham is averaging 6.5 points and 4.1 rebounds on 41.5% shooting, including 38.9% from 3-point range, in 17 games. In the last three games before Wednesday's loss to New York, she is putting up 13.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg and 1.7 apg on 66.7% shooting (72.7% on 3-pointers) off the bench.
On Wednesday, Cunningham played eight minutes in the opening quarter and knocked down a 3-point shot. She also had a foul. The Fever trailed 32-24 after the first 10 minutes.
At halftime, Cunningham had five points, two rebounds and a turnover. She shot 2-for-6, including 1-for-4 from 3-point range, in 15 minutes. New York had a 15-point lead over Indiana (53-38) at the break.
Cunningham scored five points in the third quarter to notch her fourth consecutive game in double figures. She played six and a half minutes in the third period, and after three quarters, she had 10 points, three rebounds and two turnovers on 4-for-8 (2-for-5 from the 3-point line).
In the fourth quarter, Cunningham added two points and a rebound to her tally. She played 26:08 minutes in her first start. Following the All-Star break, Indiana and New York will have a rematch on Tuesday.
Sophie Cunningham's stats tonight
Sophie Cunningham had a viral response to being elbowed in Fever's game vs. Connecticut
Sophie Cunningham's Indiana Fever had an 85-77 win against the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday at TD Garden in Boston.
During the fourth quarter, as Cunningham tried to set a screen for teammate Aliyah Boston, she was hit in the face by Sun's Olivia Nelson-Ododa's elbow. However, no foul was called as Cunningham immediately got up.
A clip of the incident was posted on X by a fan following the game. Cunningham re-shared the tweet and wrote:
"they said I flopped. el oh el."
Cunningham's reply had over 110,000 likes as of this writing. The 6-foot-1 guard was notably involved in a heated altercation with the Sun on June 17. Cunningham was ejected from the game following a hard foul and a confrontation with Jacy Sheldon.
The WNBA later fined Sophie Cunningham. However, she was praised by fans who alleged that she stood up for Caitlin Clark, who had a mix-up with Sheldon earlier in the game.
