INDIANAPOLIS – Lexie Hull didn’t score in the Indiana Fever’s previous four games heading into a Saturday matinee against the WNBA-leading New York Liberty.

The third-year wing didn’t play in the team’s 19-point defeat in Las Vegas on Tuesday. She played less than five minutes in two of the team’s three games prior to that, and most of her 13 minutes of action against the Seattle Storm on June 27 came after Seattle gained a comfortable lead.

Hull got action on Saturday, but she was scoreless in the first three quarters. The Fever fell behind by 11 points with Hull on the floor early in the fourth quarter, and it could’ve been time to take Hull — who came into the day averaging only 3.2 points per game — out of the game.

Fever score: How the Indiana Fever picked up their biggest win of the season vs. New York Liberty

Instead, Hull stayed on the court. Coming out of a timeout with Indiana down nine, Hull found center Damiris Dantas off an inbound for an assist. On the next possession, she rebounded a Caitlin Clark missed 3 and drove the ball right at five-time All-Defensive forward Breanna Stewart for her first field goal in 15 days.

Hull scored six points in the final 7:08 and played an all-around game that guided the Fever to an 83-78 win. Fever coach Christie Sides kept Hull in for the final 12:38 en route to the team’s first win against New York since 2022.

“Lexie Hull is consistent with what she's doing every day to make sure when her number’s called, she’s ready to go,” Sides said after the game. “And today, she came in and she was so active defensively. She was guarding (Stewart), she was guarding (Sabrina) Ionescu, she was scrambling out on defense, she was able to contest on players.

“Just really proud of her effort, which is something she gives every night. … Whatever the team needs is what she's willing to do, and that's why she's just a great player for us and a great teammate.”

A year ago, Hull was the Fever’s starting small forward. The Stanford product started 25 of the 30 games she played and averaged 20.6 minutes in her second year in the WNBA. But the offseason signings of forwards Katie Lou Samuelson (27 years old) and Temi Fagbenle (31) have limited Hull’s time on the court in her third season. Hull hasn't started this season, and she came into Saturday playing just 10.5 mpg. She's been a healthy inactive six times this year.

With Fagbenle missing Saturday’s game with a right thumb injury, Hull was given an opportunity. The 2022 first-round pick closed the game over Samuelson, who has returned to the team’s starting lineup in the last two games. Hull gave the Fever what they needed against the best team in the WNBA.

“Playing in the WNBA is hard because you just never know, really, when your name is going to be called,” Hull said. “I’ve been really trying to stay ready and (I’m) very grateful for any opportunity that I get.”

Hull made a reverse layup with 1:24 left that gave the Fever a four-point cushion. But her scoring wasn’t all she brought on Saturday. Hull took turns defending Sabrina Ionescu and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, who led New York in scoring with 22 and 20 points, respectively.

With Hull guarding Ionescu and Laney-Hamilton, the duo combined to shoot 4-for-12 (and 2-for-10 on 3s) in the fourth quarter. Her defense was a major reason why Indiana held the league’s top offense to 16 points in the final frame.

“They’re both very skilled,” Hull said of Ionescu and Laney-Hamilton. “We watch a lot of film and we have a scouting report in a way that we want to go into the game guarding them. So just making sure that when I was on each of them, to kind of switch up my mindset because we guard them both a little bit differently.”

Hull’s offense contributes to her rocky playing time, but she’s the best perimeter defender the Fever have. She hasn’t gotten enough playing time to win any WNBA awards, but she was All-Defense in the Pac-12 (rest in peace) twice and the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year in Athletes Unlimited, a winter professional women’s basketball league.

The Fever needed everything Hull provided in the fourth quarter to pull off the upset. Despite not being in a rhythm coming into the game, Hull played like a pro and showed up with the team relying on her two-way play.

“Lexie’s always ready,” Fever center Aliyah Boston said. “No matter what, she’s ready when her name is called, and I think you saw that today. She came in, made big plays, was great defensively, great communicator, was able to score that ball (and) get to the basket. I mean, she does everything that we need her to do.”

If Hull continues to perform like this, she should find herself consistently in the Fever’s rotation. Her defensive prowess is needed for the WNBA’s worst defense. The question is if she can factor into the team’s offense enough to play long stretches.

In the Fever’s best win of the year, Hull came through on both ends in the clutch.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Fever wing Lexie Hull comes up clutch vs. Liberty after DNP