Fever needed every bit of historic Caitlin Clark performance to upset Liberty

Even with Caitlin Clark's Indiana Fever making strides over the past month, there was good reason that they entered Saturday's home matchup against the New York Liberty as 10.5-point underdogs. After all, the Liberty and the superteam assembled in the Big Apple entered the game with a WNBA-best record of 17-4.

Perhaps more notably, the Liberty won the previous meeting in New York 104-68, an embarrassing blowout for the Fever. What's more, Clark was held to one of her worst performances of the season in that loss, shooting 1-of-10 from the field and 1-of-7 from 3-point range and finishing with only three points, five assists and two rebounds.

Suffice it to say, she wasn't about to let that happen again. And as she did time and again in her storied college career with the Iowa Hawkeyes, she responded on Saturday in record-breaking fashion.

Caitlin Clark sparks upset of Liberty with first-ever WNBA triple-double by rookie

Clark was dominant in every facet of the game from start-to-finish and it showed in the box score as she finished the contest with 19 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds, all of which were team highs, while shooting decently at 7-of-17 from the field and 3-of-12 from deep. With those numbers, though, she became the first WNBA rookie to ever record a triple-double.

In making history, though, she also propelled the Fever to an 83-78 upset victory over the Liberty, a statement game for an Indiana squad that seems to be surging a bit, even coming off of a loss to the defending champion Las Vegas Aces.

To be sure, Clark's efforts weren't a solo effort. NaLyssa Smith had a double-double of her own with 12 points and 11 boards while Aliyah Boston continued to be a force in her own rigth with 18 points and eight rebounds on 8-of-12 shooting. Kelsey Mitchell also added 14 points on the afternoon.

However, it's been clear over nearly the past month that Clark is the catalyst as she starts to come into her own as a pro. This game might've been the calling card announcing fully her arrival as a game-changing force in teh WNBA landscape.

The Fever have now won six of their last nine games, moving them to 9-13 on the season but, crucially, into the No. 8 seed in the league standings. And it's not a coincidence that we've seen Clark elevate her play as of late. After starting her WNBA career in the month of May averaging 17.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game but shooting only 37.7% from the floor and 32% from 3, she then averaged 15.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game on 42.1% shooting and 36.8% 3-point shooting.

Even at Iowa, we always knew that Clark could take over a game with her elite long-range shooting. However, she and the Hawkeyes were at their best when she was affecting every facet of the game, using the attention paid to her to set up teammates and cleaning up the glass as a great rebounder for a guard. The Fever are now seeing that as well and a first-ever triple-double is indicative of that.

Clark and the Fever may have found the recipe for success of late but upsetting the top-seeded Liberty on Saturday offers even more promise. Indiana doesn't need their rookie to have a triple-double every night. However, if she's affecting the game in so many ways night-in and night-out, that can elevate both her and her team to the next level.