New York Liberty cap season’s first half with 82-74 win over Connecticut Sun
Photo by Evan Yu/NBAE via Getty Images
Sabrina Ionescu and depth. The Liberty won the same way they’ve been winning all season, tying the perfect bow on their 21-4 start. The New York Liberty couldn’t go into the All-Star/Olympic break with a whimper. They were facing the Connecticut Sun and guaranteed to play a fist-clenching game despite resting Breanna Stewart ... and missing Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, who underwent knee surgery earlier in the day (more on that later).
The game was especially significant. The Liberty could clinch the season-series with a win at home, having won the first two of four matchups, both in Uncasville. The Liberty, using the same starting lineup they had on Saturday against the Chicago Sky, entered at 20-4, the Sun 18-5.
“This is huge, this is what we’re gonna remember going into the break,” said Sabrina Ionescu.
The most impressive thing about the second victory in Connecticut was that the Liberty did it despite shooting 3-of-13 from deep, winning a paint-oriented fight with one of the W’s biggest teams, size-wise. But the Liberty weren’t eager to repeat that type of performance, and Ionescu made sure they wouldn’t, hitting three triples in the first quarter...
Sa-3️⃣-na is making it RAIN at @barclayscenter ☔️ pic.twitter.com/eoTDR3O75V— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) July 16, 2024
Ionescu remained mum on whether she’d defend her 3-Point Contest title at All-Star Weekend, but certainly gave the fans a prequel if she does.
The Liberty shot 7-of-15 from deep in the first half, in a bit of a role reversal. Connecticut’s shot-making never got off the ground, as they’d finish 2-of-18 from deep ... though if a WNBA team can win a game shoot like that, we know who it is.
Still, it appeared that difference would decide the game in the first half, as the Libs raced out to an early lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Aside from Ionescu’s early brilliance, it may have been the perfect cap on the season’s first half because it showcased just how much deeper the 2024 team is than last year’s version.
Despite an incredibly lopsided box-score (Ionescu would finish with a game-high points, her next closest teammate was Courtney Vandrersloot with ten), everybody had memorable moments.
Kennedy Burke and Leonie Fiebich didn’t replicate Laney-Hamilton and Stewart, but played strong versions of their own games. That was good enough. Burke just kinda made stuff happen, mixing in drives with defensive activity, ultimately notching a career-high four steals. Fiebich shot just 2-of-5 on the night for nine points, but was her usual feisty self on defense and on the glass.
Though New York played through Jonquel Jones early, she couldn’t find her shot on Tuesday night. Yet, she was undeniably impactful as a rim-protector and passer...
Jonquel Jones is 1-of-6 but already up to five assists. These are just great...and Nyara looks good: pic.twitter.com/SMyXinxXJr— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) July 16, 2024
Still, the Liberty couldn’t pull away from Connecticut, not after they started trapping Ionescu aggressively, and not with the turnover-fest going on. For as well as New York’s supporting cast played, nobody lit it up, and although Sabrina turned it over a whopping seven times, her teammates doubled her total. The Libs gave it away 21 times in total.
Yes, it was a great game as expected, but it certainly had its last-game-before-the-break peaks and valleys, namely a wonky third quarter where whistles and offensive ineptitude slowed the pace (the Sun had 14 turnovers in the quarter), and a slow start to the fourth, with Alyssa Thomas sitting.
After scoring 16/8/5 on 8-of-9 shooting through three quarters, it felt like a surprising decision from Stephanie White & Co., but it was confirmed Thomas was just resting, prepping for the Olympics.
“Yeah, I was surprised, I was happy,” joked Sandy Brondello. “I saw her right after the game, asked her, she said she was resting, getting ready for the Olympics.”
Connecticut would only score 11 points in the final frame without their leader, only with a curiously quiet DeWanna Bonner and a balls-to-the-wall DiJonai Carrington, who tried to will the visitors to a win, but just missed a couple too many shots.
Burke started the fourth quarter with a steal-assist-score sequence on three straight possessions...
KB been massive, had a layup after this to push the lead to 5. (good communication from Ivana too) pic.twitter.com/JSklRYB3cE— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) July 17, 2024
...to push the lead the five.
Then, Jones turned in the two most important field-goals of her 3-of-12 performance, continuing the theme of timely contributions. As the Liberty defense continued to erase the pain of their offense’s many turnovers, they built a three-possession lead midway through the frame, and that was that. Unlike so many New York-Connecticut battles, this one ended at half-court, the clock dribbling down. The fans didn’t get a thrilling finish, but a fun, easy one.
“We spoke about our depth all season long and, well, I think we’ve just handled the adversity so well,” said Brondello. “We’ve got some — two key players out for us. Sometimes this is great. I really enjoyed it, because you see what we’ve got. KB is a great player and you see in extended minutes, how she can help us. Ivana [Dojkić], I thought, really stepped up as well and that’s part of being a team, isn’t it?”
It wasn't about the raw numbers on Tuesday night; just look at Dojkić, who shot just 2-of-9 but won her 19 minutes by eight points. Only Ionescu, who finished with 30/6/5 on 7-of-14 while making all ten of her freebies, really stacked the stat-sheet ... including that turnover column.
Just as Ionescu finished the best stretch of her professional career with a note-worthy performance. the Liberty did the same. They are a complete team this year, with a bench that’s more than trustworthy. Indeed, it’s actually really good. They make timely shots, defend, run, and fill whatever gaps are need.
If there was still any doubt about that, they erased it on Tuesday night, moving to 21-4, the best and cementing their status as the best team in the WNBA, now halfway through the year.
Final Score: New York Liberty 82, Connecticut Sun 74
Betnijah Laney-Hamilton out 4-to-6 weeks
Sandy Brondello explained, pregame, that Laney-Hamilton’s surgery was a “minor,” a “clean-up” of loose bodies in her right knee ... though it’s debatable whether any surgery on the knee that kept Laney-Hamilton out for chunks of 2022 can be considered minor.
Still, the Liberty stated in a press release that Laney-Hamilton is scheduled to miss 4-to-6 weeks after the procedure, which shouldn’t jeopardize her availability for the playoffs, and could have her back by the start of the season’s second half, if all goes exceedingly well.
“We did it because of the Olympic break,” said Brondello. “She could have kept playing, but it’s the Olympic break, let’s get her some relief then.”
Next Up
Photo by JULIEN DE ROSA/AFP via Getty Images
An Olympic break, All-Star break, whatever you want to call it! Either way, New York’s next game will be in Los Angeles against the Sparks on August 15. In the meantime, we’ll have Olympic coverage for all Libs (and Nets) making the trip out to Paris this Summer.
Box Score: New York Liberty 82, Connecticut Sun 74 - WNBA
Game Highlights: New York Liberty 82, Connecticut Sun 74 (Video) - WNBA
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