Fever rookie Tiffany Mitchell scored in double figures for her seventh straight game but it wasn’t enough to take down the hot shooting Liberty as New York prevailed, 91-59, in game one one of Indiana’s two-game road trip. The Fever were limited to a season-low 32.8 percent shooting from the floor, while the Liberty shot at a 51.5 percent clip.
Sugar Rodgers made five 3-pointers and scored 21 points to help the Liberty in a rematch of the 2015 Eastern Conference finals.
Tina Charles added 14 points, nine rebounds and six assists for New York. The Liberty (3-3) ended a three-game skid.
New York inserted Swin Cash into the starting lineup for the first time this season. The veteran forward finished with nine points for the Liberty. She signed with the team May 24.
Leading 28-26 midway through the second quarter, New York closed the half with a 14-3 run to take a 42-29 advantage at the break. Shavonte Zellous capped the run when she was fouled by Erica Wheeler just before the halftime buzzer and made all three free throws.
Indiana (3-4) couldn’t get within single digits in the second half.
It was Zellous’ first game against her former team. The veteran guard, who spent the previous six years with the Fever before leaving as a free agent this offseason, scored a season-high 13 points.
Zellous was key when the Fever knocked New York out of the playoffs last season. The Liberty, who had the best record in the WNBA last season, were missing Brittany Boyd for that series because of a fractured left wrist. The second-year guard made her presence felt Friday night on both ends of the court. She played pesky defense and also was a sparkplug on offense to help New York to its biggest win ever over Indiana, surpassing the 19-point victory on June 25, 2002.
Indiana rookie Tiffany Mitchell continued her impressive start to the season. She scored 11 points and continues to lead the Fever with just under 15 points a game.
Tamika Catchings and Shenise Johnson each had 10 points for the Fever