Saturday wasn’t just another regular-season game.

The Liberty knew what was at stake.

Not only could the game have playoff seeding implications, but it was also a chance to send a message. At least that was the talk out of practice Friday.

But there was another layer to Saturday’s marquee matchup against the Fever.

The Liberty’s pride was on the line, especially after the beating Indiana delivered in each of their past two meetings.

The Liberty, playing on national television and in front of a sold-out crowd, almost lost it. But they held off a late Fever push to win 109-102.

The Fever-Liberty matchup, billed as the greatest game of the weekend, lived up to the hype.

Each basket generated raucous cheers.

The Liberty led the entire second half, but the Fever never backed down.

A 7-0 run by Indiana, thanks to Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark, made it a one-point game with 4:08 left in the fourth.

A Sophie Cunningham steal led to a Kelsey Mitchell 3-pointer that tied the game at 100 apiece with under two minutes left.

With the Liberty up by three, Sabrina Ionescu pushed her way to the basket and made a tough layup, but it didn’t count because she was whistled for an offensive foul.

Leonie Fiebich’s clean defense forced Clark into a tough shot that missed the mark. The Fever star was whistled for a foul on Pauline Astier, who built the Liberty’s lead up to five.

The atmosphere was electric throughout the night as Barclays Center started to fill up well before tipoff.
Aside from the gray court with seafoam accents, one would have thought this was a Fever home game during warmups.

On the Liberty’s end, a modest number of fans gathered in the lower rows to try to snag autographs.

On the other end, though, was triple the number of spectators. Iowa and Fever jerseys hung over the railings, with fans eager to get autographs.

One fan said she flew from Spain to watch Clark play. Another young fan in Fever gear held a sign that said she drove 901 miles for the game.

But this was the Liberty’s house. And the team — as close to full strength as it had been in seven weeks with Fiebich and Jonquel Jones back — wasn’t going to get embarrassed on its home floor.

The Liberty’s offense was singing. The ball was zipping around the court. They got contributions from everyone on the floor.

Breanna Stewart led the team with 22 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Fiebich, playing in her first game since July 3, added 20 points, five rebounds and five assists.

And Jonquel Jones had 19 points and 10 rebounds.

The Liberty looked nothing like the team that got embarrassed in Indiana twice this season.

And their fans should savor this win. Maybe it even absolves a few of the bad losses the Liberty suffered when Fiebich was out.

The Liberty proved Saturday that they can not only hang with the best of them, but best them.

The Fever are legitimate title contenders. If New York can build off Saturday’s victory, the Liberty are, too.