New York Liberty scrape by Seattle Storm in 74-63 win to remain undefeated
New York Liberty | X/Twitter
The New York Liberty did not blow the Storm out with hot 3-point shooting, far from it in fact. But a win is a win, and the Libs are now 4-0. “I suppose our identity, we want to be tough. That’s just bringing the toughness on both ends of ball, of the court, but particularly on the defensive end, where we can be really aggressive.”
Sandy Brondello’s pregame comments proved prescient for the New York Liberty’s home contest vs. the Seattle Storm on Monday night, but it wasn’t much of a surprise.
The Barclays Center was not going to be jumping the way it was on Saturday, when the New York Liberty played their first home game of the season, against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever no less. Especially not the way it was jumping during the first half of that nationally televised contest, where the Liberty shot 12-of-18 from deep to outpace the Fever’s best half of their young season, led by Caitlin Clark’s first shot-making explosion as a pro.
And while the Seattle Storm might be a more formidable opponent than the young Fever, they landed in New York playing the second night of a back-to-back, missing Nneka Ogwumike to boot.
The let-down was inevitable.
Still, the Liberty raced out to a 36-24 lead at half-time. Or rather, limped out to the lead after a 9-9 second quarter that left the crowd sitting on their hands. Yes, nine-to-nine. Each team made one 3-pointer in the first half, shooting a combined 2-of-24 from deep with 16 total turnovers.
But only New York could rely on the world’s most dominant front-court, the key to the defensive performance that Brondello was searching for.
A literal representation of "GET THAT OUTTA HERE" ❌ @jus242 pic.twitter.com/nUA0hKDtjN— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) May 20, 2024
“Those two post players with their rotations and protecting the [restricted area] behind the ball, I mean it’s been great all season long. And that helps the perimeter players to be aggressive because they know they’ve got someone behind them,” explained Brondello.
Jonquel Jones dominated once again, more than 16-and-8 line might indicate. She finished with two blocks, but far more altered shots. With both teams struggling from deep, the Storm’s futility inside the arc as well was ultimately the difference, and Jones was the key factor down low.
Breanna Stewart did her part as well, not lighting the world on fire from the floor as she had in New York’s last two games, but grinding her way to 16 points on 18 shots, though 7-of-12 from two.
The posts would need offensive help, though, in a second half that saw the Storm stick within single-digits even in the fourth quarter, and they found it in Sabrina Ionescu.
Ionescu had the ball in her hands often, and while she ended up with four turnovers, she finished with 20 points and eight assists, doing nearly all of her work in the second half. The league’s reigning 3-point champion only made one such shot, eschewing the long-ball for consistent downhill attacks, whether in the half-court or transition...
SAB THAT'S TUFFFF @sabrina_i20 pic.twitter.com/le57JyOWO7— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) May 21, 2024
“I think that’s the evolution of Sabrina,” said her head coach. “With her maturity as a player, she still is quite young, but she’s achieved so much in her young career, and that’s about her growth, how she can help this team .. Sabrina was the one that was giving us that energy tonight, getting downhill, making some shots.”
Ionescu deflected the praise, predictably, and kept it all about the team: “I think that’s obviously been the growth of this team, is just being able to play a season together last year, coming into this year. We’ve kind of picked up where we left off. People are getting used to my passes, I’m getting used to the way that people are playing as well. Obviously still had a little too many turnovers tonight but it’s been really nice to see how we’ve been able to move the ball and do so without, necessarily, play-calling.”
The Storm’s refusal to quit on the second night of a back-to-back kept the Liberty lead around ten the whole second half, requiring Ionescu, Stewart, and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton (13/3/4) to all top 33 minutes.
Seattle shot 25% from deep to New York’s 13% on the game, but that difference wasn’t enough to make up for the disparity in 2-point shooting (57.5% to 39.1%), nor ten more made free-throws for the hosts. Skylar Diggins-Smith and Jewell Loyd couldn’t find their spots against hounding perimeter defense, combining to shoot 8-of-30, though Diggins-Smith had some nice moments in her fourth game back in the W after a year off, getting downhill repeatedly to finish with seven assists.
The star of the New York’s bench on Monday was not Nyara Sabally, as it had been in each of the Libs’ first three games, but Kayla Thornton, who firmly re-introduced herself to a Liberty crowd that had fallen in love with her effort last season.
She scored seven of the sea foam’s nine bench points, fought for multiple offensive rebounds, and played her characteristically physical defense to ignite a crowd that didn’t have much shot-making to cheer for. Thornton’s effort exemplified what Sandy Brondello discussed pregame, when asked what she envisioned as the Liberty’s identity in 2024.
“KT, it was her best game, and that’s how she can help us,” said Brondello. “She’s a dawg on defense. And we’re still working it out but realizing how she can help us: guarding the handler, switching a little bit more, that was effective for us tonight.”
Overall, it was a valuable lesson for a team full of veterans, one that they surely already know, but occasionally must be reminded of: You gotta win the ugly ones.
Said Brondello: “I’m happy with our defense because we found a way to win ugly.”
Nika Mühl visa still pending
In one of the weirder stories of the WNBA season’s start, ex-UConn Husky and #14 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft Nika Mühl missed her fourth straight game to start the year while the status of her United States employment visa is still pending. Mühl is a native of Croatia, and while plenty of foreign-born players populate WNBA rosters, her situation is one that not even Sandy Brondello, a native Australian, has seen.
“Never. It amazes me. I mean, I’m Australian, and I got my visa pretty easy, but I wasn’t a college, I suppose ... I’m amazed that she hasn’t. You know, it’s been a few weeks now, and usually it doesn’t take that long.”
Yet, just after Brondello spoke pregame, a report from The Next broke news that Mühl is expected to make her WNBA debut Wednesday vs. the Indiana Fever. This comes after some international shenanigans, fittingly weird for the WNBA, that Jackie Powell and Howard Megdal broke down.
But her P1 approval, though it came Friday from the United States, required a status change as well, according to the source familiar. That led to a Mühl trip to Canada just to get a status change approved, too. Coincidentally, Monday is Victoria Day in Canada, meaning the earliest that could get approved was Tuesday.
Huh. Alright then.
Next Up
Photo by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images
The Liberty will have their first true extra off-day of the season, with their next game coming at home on Thursday evening. Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky will be coming to town, coached by Liberty legend Teresa Weatherspoon. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET.
Box Score: New York Liberty 74, Seattle Storm 63 - WNBA
Game Highlights: New York Liberty 74, Seattle Storm 63 (Video) - WNBA
New York Liberty improve to 4-0 for first time in 17 years with 74-63 win over Seattle Storm - Doug Feinberg - AP
Liberty overcome ‘ugly’ second quarter in 74-63 win over Seattle Storm - Fiifi Frimpong - New York Daily News
Liberty’s spotty offense still proves enough to top Storm, secure 4-0 start - Andrew Crane - New York Post
Welcome to Billionaire Club Co LLC, your gateway to a brand-new social media experience! Sign up today and dive into over 10,000 fresh daily articles and videos curated just for your enjoyment. Enjoy the ad free experience, unlimited content interactions, and get that coveted blue check verification—all for just $1 a month!
Account Frozen
Your account is frozen. You can still view content but cannot interact with it.
Please go to your settings to update your account status.
Open Profile Settings