Liberty Find Morning Glory, Take Back 1st in Connecticut

The New York Liberty put up a win of adaptability on Wednesday morning-into-afternoon.

Brandon Todd, NY Liberty

UNCASVILLE-Familiar heroines rose up in a brand new fashion for the New York Liberty on Wednesday morning-into-afternoon.

Facing a massive matinee at Mohegan Sun Arena, the Liberty took back sole possession of the WNBA's top seed with a 71-68 final over the Connecticut Sun. Sabrina Ionescu scored a team-best 21 points in the triumph, needing but only one three-pointer to pull it off.

Breanna Stewart kept her usual pace rolling with 18 points and 14 rebounds while Jonquel Jones hauled in 11 rebounds as Courtney Vandersloot matched her in points. The Liberty pulled off the win without Betnijah Laney-Hamilton in tow, as the two-way sensation was a late scratch due to a knee injury.

"I've just got pretty good players, haven't I?" head coach Sandy Brondello asked in the aftermath. "I think the chemistry, buying into how we want to play at both ends of the floor and holding themselves accountable and each other, I think that makes it really special. They're just great people, they want to play in the right way ... they all buy into their role to the best of their ability."

Brandon Todd, NY Liberty

A battle of WNBA heavyweights tipped off at 11 a.m. local time, with most of the Uncasville seating areas packed with children hailing from summer camps. The two squads lived up to their league-leading reputations, responding to each other's antics almost perfectly in tune until the final two: Ionescu put New York up for good with a floater to open the penultimate minute and then hauled in a last-minute rebound when Leonie Fiebich prevented a DeWanna Bonner response.

Ionescu carried the ball for the entirety of the Liberty's final possession: after whittling the clock down to its final seconds, Ionescu put up another two that put New York up three. She then got a hand on Ty Harris' would-be equalizer as time expired, placing the Liberty (18-4) back atop the WNBA leaderboard.

The game ending on Ionescu surprises was perfectly in-theme: Ionescu earned a 10-point period without the assistance of a triple for the first time in her career during the first.

New York as a whole found a better balance of shooting after launching 42 with an extra point on the line in a Saturday loss in Indianapolis: the 13 the Liberty tried from deep, hitting three, was their lowest tally in a single game since August 2019.

"I think it's understanding that we're not a one-dimensional team," Ionescu said. "We shoot the ball really well but they were taking that away and flying out at shooters. We were able to take really high-level shots. It's understanding that we have so many weapons in terms of if teams are going to try and make something difficult, we have options to go to."

"We weren't just going to come out and start jacking threes because that's what we've done in the past. We're not chasing stats in that aspect. I think you were able to see how I was able to get down in the paint, Stewie was able to get down, JJ was able to establish herself, and, in the end, we were still able to hit some big shots when we needed them."

Nonetheless, Ionescu's sole triple of the night proved historic: it was the 332nd three of her career, giving her sole possession of second place on the all-time Liberty list. She passed Becky Hammon and only Crystal Robinson (400) stands above her.

Elsewhere in metropolitan history, all seven women that took the floor for the Liberty had at least two assists, marking the first time that an entire WNBA contingent had multiple helpers in a single game (h/t Elisa Sports Bureau).

New York jumped out to several sizable leads over the opening 30, advantages that Connecticut (17-5) frequently matched or closely trailed but could never fully overcome until the fourth quarter. Even then, the Sun never led by more than one and the Liberty escaped from Uncasville with a dramatic victory that continued the best start in franchise history.

Brandon Todd, NY Liberty

Bonner led all scorers with 22 points in defeat while Brionna Jones had 17. MVP contender Alyssa Thomas had just three points on four attempts from the field while Dijonai Carrington was likewise held to eight.

"I think we did really well defensively," Stewart said. "I think there were obviously lapses and moments where Connecticut was going to score, but we really were just on a string with one another, making sure that our help side was there all the time and really rebounding as much as possible."

"If I'm helping, I know my teammates are having my back with AT. I think our pressure on the ball, that's something we really wanted to come in and make sure that they're not able to pass it to anyone they want and that we're going to make things difficult."

There's no rest for the Liberty, who immediately head back to Brooklyn for the first half of a home-and-home against the Chicago Sky on Thursday night (7 p.m. ET, WNYW).

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