Indianapolis ? Tamika Catchings backed up the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award with a dominating performance in her first playoff game.

Catchings had 29 points, 11 rebounds, four 3-pointers, four assists and three steals as the Indiana Fever beat New York 73-55 on Friday night for the franchise’s first playoff victory.

Indiana Fever forward Nadine Malcom (42) is pressured by New York Liberty guard Becky Hammon, right, and forward Tamika Whitmore. The Fever won the opening game of the first-round playoff series, 73-55, Friday in Indianapolis.

“You know, she never ceases to amaze me,” Fever coach Nell Fortner said. “She keeps coming up with good basketball plays. She was feeling it tonight.”

Game 2 of the best-of-three Eastern Conference semifinal series is Sunday in New York, and Game 3, if necessary, also would be at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night.

Indiana beat New York, the conference’s top seed, for just the second time in three years. In those two victories, Catchings has scored 61 points.

The Fever outshot the Liberty, outrebounded them and dominated a team that had been to the playoffs each of the last three years and has made three previous appearances in the WNBA Finals.

Then they celebrated in front of the 10,198 fans who chanted “M-V-P! M-V-P!” for Catchings, selected the WNBA’s Rookie of the Year earlier Friday, throughout the second half.

Indiana savored its seventh victory in eight games, as players smiled and hopped around long before the game ended.

“We came out real enthusiastic,” Catchings said. “Being our first playoff game with the fans here, we went out and pushed the ball and you saw happened.”

New York could not keep up.

They were led by Tamika Whitmore with 18 points. Crystal Robinson was the only other player to reach double figures, finishing with 10 points. But what appeared most troubling to coach Richie Adubato was that his team looked a step slow, hardly challenged and couldn’t do anything to stop Catchings.

The result was another loss, the Liberty’s fifth in six games, and the franchise’s worst playoff loss ever.

“I don’t understand it. We had a couple days off, but they certainly had all the intensity, they were pushing the ball, they were running,” he said. “And we had no answer for Catchings, none.”

Catchings scored, rebounded, played defense, was the early catalyst for Indiana, and she put the finishing touches on the victory.

In the first half alone, Catchings was 6-of-8 with three 3-pointers and 18 points.

Fever 73, Liberty 55

NEW YORK (55)

Robinson 3-9 3-3 10, Whitmore 9-14 0-0 18, Phillips 3-10 0-0 6, Weatherspoon 2-4 2-2 6, Johnson 1-7 2-2 4, Hammon 2-5 0-0 5, Wicks 0-0 0-0 0, Cooper 0-1 0-0 0, Hlede 0-1 0-0 0, Frohlich 0-0 1-2 1, Ngoyisa 2-2 1-3 5. Totals 22-53 9-12 55.

INDIANA (73)

Catchings 11-19 3-4 29, Malcolm 2-3 0-0 4, Scott-Richardson 2-6 2-2 6, Washington 5-9 1-1 13, McCray 3-9 0-0 6, Pettis 1-3 4-5 6, Schumacher 3-4 1-3 7, Ivey 0-0 0-0 0, Maxwell 0-1 0-0 0, Moore 0-0 0-0 0, Thompson 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 28-55 11-15 73.

New York 24 31 55

Indiana 35 38 73

3-Point GoalsNew York 2-11 (Hammon 1-3, Robinson 1-6, Phillips 0-1, Johnson 0-1), Indiana 6-14 (Catchings 4-8, Washington 2-5, Malcolm 0-1). ReboundsNew York 27 (Hammon 5), Indiana 38 (Scott-Richardson 14). AssistsNew York 16 (Weatherspoon 4), Indiana 17 (McCray 5). Total foulsNew York 19, Indiana 19. A10,198.

Starzz 66, Comets 59

Salt Lake City The Utah Starzz held on for their first WNBA playoff victory, but just barely.

Adrienne Goodson scored 20 points, hitting her first seven shots, and Margo Dydek had 11 points, 13 rebounds and four blocked shots as Utah beat Houston for a 1-0 lead in the teams’ first-round playoff series.

Marie Ferdinand scored 12 points and Jennifer Azzi had 10 for the Starzz, who were swept by Sacramento in their first playoff trip last year. Goodson finished 8-for-13 from the field.

Game 2 is Sunday in Houston, where the Comets won 13 straight at one point this season.

Sheryl Swoopes led Houston with 17 points and 10 rebounds, but her 5-of-19 shooting performance was typical of the Comets, who shot 29 percent.

The Comets held opponents to 37.5 percent shooting this season, best in the WNBA. But the Starzz seemed to make just about everything in the first half, shooting 68 percent at one point.

Tina Thompson scored 13 points, but missed a 3-pointer with a minute to go that would have pulled Houston within one.

Starzz 66, Comets 59

HOUSTON (59)

Swoopes 5-19 6-7 17, Thompson 5-13 2-2 13, T.Johnson 1-4 0-0 2, Henning 0-3 0-0 0, Arcain 6-12 3-4 16, Snow 0-6 3-4 3, R.Williams 2-6 0-0 6, Daley 0-2 2-2 2. Totals 19-65 16-19 59.

UTAH (66)

Goodson 8-13 3-4 20, N.Williams 2-5 1-4 5, Dydek 5-11 1-1 11, Azzi 3-8 2-2 10, Ferdinand 4-13 4-6 12, Randall 0-2 0-0 0, L.Johnson 3-4 1-1 8, Gardner 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-56 12-18 66.

Houston 24 35 59

Utah 39 27 66

3-Point GoalsHouston 5-16 (R.Williams 2-4, Arcain 1-3, Swoopes 1-3, Thompson 1-5, Henning 0-1), Utah 4-10 (Azzi 2-5, Goodson 1-1, L.Johnson 1-2, Dydek 0-1, Ferdinand 0-1). ReboundsHouston 40 (Swoopes 10), Utah 46 (Dydek 13). AssistsHouston 10 (Swoopes 4), Utah 16 (Dydek, Ferdinand 4). Total foulsHouston 15, Utah 17. TechnicalsHouston coach Chancellor. A6,693.