NCAA Womens Basketball: Final Four National Championship-Iowa vs South Carolina

During the game between Indiana Fever and New York Liberty on Saturday, South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley shared a heartwarming moment with a young fan, posing for a picture. This wholesome interaction added a special touch to an exciting game, where the Liberty won 91-80 against the Fever.

The Indiana Fever, led by rookie Caitlin Clark, aimed to secure their first win. However, despite Clark’s stellar performance of 22 points and eight assists (albeit with eight turnovers), the Fever struggled against the dominant offense of the Liberty.

Clark reflected on her performance in the post-game press conference.

“The biggest challenge for me…obviously, first of all, physicality but second of all being competitive, but also understanding this is a young group, a young team, I’m young. It’s gonna be a learning process, not everything is gonna be perfect,” Clark said.

For the Liberty, Breanna Stewart led the charge with 24 points, complemented by contributions from Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones and Courtney Vandersloot.

In the fourth quarter, with 5:18 remaining, the Liberty maintained a significant advantage of 84-66 over the Fever. Although Indiana attempted to rally, led by Kelsey Mitchell (17 points) and Aliyah Boston (12 points), they struggled defensively against New York’s relentless offense.

Despite the Fever’s valiant effort in the second half, outscoring the Liberty in various aspects such as paint points and second-chance points, New York’s dominance, particularly in fast-break points where they held a 28-2 advantage, proved decisive.

Dawn Staley shares heartwarming moment with Breanna Stewart’s daughter

Dawn Staley had a touching encounter with the New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart and her daughter following the Liberty’s win over the Indiana Fever.

Staley adorably “offered” the young girl a scholarship to play for South Carolina one day.

The Liberty’s performance was dominated by Breanna Stewart, whose 24 points, five rebounds, four steals and three blocks highlighted her all-around contribution to the team’s success.

Dawn Staley praised Aces rookie Kate Martin

Dawn Staley was impressed by the performance of Las Vegas Aces rookie Kate Martin. She made her debut in the WNBA on Saturday against LA Sparks and had three points, three assists, five rebounds and a block in the 89-82 win.

After Martin blocked a shot attempt by the Sparks’ Li Yueru, Staley praised her, calling her a “G” on X.

Martin, who was picked 18th overall in 2024, won a place on the roster of the two-time defending champions thanks to an outstanding training camp and preseason performance.