After a 109-102 loss to the New York Liberty, a visibly tired and frustrated Caitlin Clark addressed Indiana's grueling stretch during her postgame media session.

The Fever's star didn't point fingers, but she also didn't pretend the timing was ideal, pointing out that they have played more back-to-backs than most teams in the league.

“There’s no excuses,” Clark said. “Yeah, our schedule’s tough. And I think we play more back-to-backs than just about anybody in the league. But it is what it is.”

The Fever were playing their fourth game in just eight days. This five-game trip sent the team across four different time zones, with stops in Atlanta, Toronto, Dallas, Brooklyn, and finally Chicago.

Rival teams fighting for playoff spots, like the Chicago Sky, reportedly have zero back-to-backs on their 2026 slate.

That fatigue first showed up on Thursday night in Dallas. The Fever's five-game winning streak came to an end against an injury-plagued Dallas Wings team.

Dallas was already playing without top rookie Azzi Fudd, who was lost for the season after knee surgery. Yet, the Fever defense collapsed as Arike Ogunbowale scored 37 points and Jessica Shepard added 26 to beat Indiana 91-85.

Things got even harder two nights later at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The New York Liberty welcomed back a fully healthy roster for the first time in nearly six weeks.

Leonie Fiebich returned from a foot injury to score 20 points, while Jonquel Jones added 19 points and 10 rebounds. Breanna Stewart led New York with 22 points.

New York outdueled Indiana in the paint, winning the rebounding battle 34-27. And the biggest gap showed up at the free-throw line. New York was sharp, 24-of-29 (83%) from the line, while Indiana made only 11-of-22 (50%).

“Yeah, everybody’s tired,” Clark acknowledged during the same interview per Indiana Fever on YouTube.

“Everybody’s sore. Who cares? Figure out a way to make yourself feel better and suit up and go play.”

The silver linings in a rough stretch

Despite the fatigue, there were some positives and reasons for Indiana to feel good heading into the final leg of the trip.

Clark herself played hard even on heavy legs. She finished with 21 points, four rebounds, and seven assists in 35 minutes on a 9-of-18 shooting night.

Plus, she hit her 243rd career three-pointer, surpassing Fever assistant coach Briann January for fourth place in franchise history.

Most importantly, Clark was not carrying the offense alone.

Kelsey Mitchell scored 25 points. Aliyah Boston added 22 points and six assists. Makayla Timpson and Sophie Cunningham each scored 10.

Indiana also protected the ball well, committing only eight turnovers all night. The only downside was forward Myisha Hines-Allen, who left late in the fourth quarter with an arm injury.

It showed that Indiana can go toe-to-toe with the league's best, even when tired.

Indiana will face the Chicago Sky on Sunday as the final stop on this eight-day road trip, and Clark is already focused on that after the loss.

“Chicago’s playing really good basketball,” she added during the same interview, per Indiana Fever on YouTube.

“I think for us, you have to look at it in a positive way. We’re coming off of a loss. It’s a great opportunity for us to go and finish this road trip with a win. That’s how I see it.”

Written by

Md Saife Fida