The Indiana Fever will not defend their Commissioner's Cup championship. Despite an impressive 5-1 tournament record capped by a 113-91 rout of the Toronto Tempo on Tuesday, Caitlin Clark and company fell short of a return trip to the title game.
New York Liberty seized the Eastern Conference spot by going undefeated in Cup play. The Fever's dominant final performance — a 22-point victory — underscored their potential but ultimately couldn't overcome the Liberty's perfect run.
Indiana finished with the second-best record in the competition. The Eastern Conference standings boil down to a single number: New York's unblemished mark versus Indiana's single loss, which proved decisive in the tiebreaker for the championship berth.
With the Commissioner's Cup now out of reach, the Fever shift focus to the regular season. The team will look to build on their strong Cup performance as they push toward playoff positioning in the WNBA standings.
"We showed what we're capable of," one Fever player said after the game, according to Yahoo Sports. Still, the club must turn that potential into consistent results when it matters most.