NEW YORK – Tamika Catchings scored a season-high 29 points to lead Indiana to a 90-76 victory over the New York Liberty on Sunday, ending the Fever's three-game losing streak.
The Fever moved past the Liberty into third place in the tight Eastern Conference. Catchings got the Fever going with 12 points in the first quarter as Indiana dominated from the start.
The Fever (14-17) led 10-8 before going on a 14-4 run to close the quarter. Catchings had five points during the burst.
It only got worse for New York (13-17) from there as Indiana extended its advantage to 23 in the second quarter and led by 19 at the half.
Down 23 in the third, New York cut it to 77-68 on Sugar Rodgers' 3-pointer with 4:56 left, but Catchings answered with her own 3 to restore the double-digit lead and seal the win.
Cappie Pondexter scored 18 points and Tina Charles added 17 to lead New York.
Erlana Larkins added 14 points and Shavonte Zellous had 11 for the Fever, who continued their success on the road this season. They improved to 9-7 away from home, matching the most road victories in franchise history.
The two teams will play twice more over the next seven days, including next Sunday at Madison Square Garden to close out the regular season. New York also hosts Phoenix on Tuesday and visits Washington on Saturday night. The Fever have two games at home against the Liberty on Thursday and Chicago on Saturday.
This was the Fever's first time playing at Madison Square Garden since the Eastern Conference semifinals in 2010. The Garden underwent $1 billion renovations over the past three years. Catchings finished three points short of her career high established against New York in 2002.
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