Liberty Star Makes Surprising Return

Betnijah Laney-Hamilton took the floor for the New York Liberty after a scary situation on Sunday.

Brandon Todd, NY Liberty

Whatever armor the New York Liberty's Scarlet Knight had on during Sunday's game at Barclays Center, it seemed to do its job.

A vocal crowd on Atlantic Avenue held its breath when two-way star and Rutgers alumna Betnijah Laney-Hamilton went down with an apparent knee injury after she made contact with teammate Jonquel Jones during forth quarter action against the Las Vegas Aces.

New York eventually prevailed by a 75-71 final but the loss of Laney-Hamilton ... as well as nearly losing after taking a 20-point lead over the A'ja Wilson-less defending champions ... made for a somber aftermath. Optimism, however, did spring from fellow tenured New Yorker Sabrina Ionescu.

"It didn't look fun, it didn't look good. But she's strong. She's dealt with this," Ionescu said. "She's always been able to bounce back. We don't think it's anything too serious, so we're just wrapping our arms around her."

Brandon Todd, NY Liberty

Laney-Hamilton walked gingerly to the Liberty bench after the incident but was immediately moved to the locker room. It appeared to be an ill-timed blow for a New York group looking to atone for last season's championship shortcoming, especially considering that the knee in question was the same one that kept Laney-Hamilton off the floor for over a month, though the All-Star/Olympic break made that portion go by relatively quickly.

For all her accomplishments, Ionescu does not have a medical degree but her diagnosis proved prophetic: originally listed as questionable for the Liberty's ensuing visit to North Texas on Tuesday, Laney-Hamilton was not only available but resumed her regular duties in the starting lineup when the seafoam savants hit up College Park Center in Arlington to face the Dallas Wings.

"We dodged a bullet," head coach Sandy Brondello remarked before Tuesday's game. "She's doing pretty good, considering ... it's a positive thing for us. It was a scary moment, but, you know, a good ending ... Bee's such a key piece for us, especially heading into the playoffs. She gives us that defensive presence, but it was great, just what she's done, I think she's back playing really good basketball for us."

Unburdened by any minutes restriction ("Until they tell me otherwise, she's good to go," said Brondello), Laney-Hamilton lived up to her advertising: while no one in New York was fully satisfied with their defensive effort, Laney-Hamilton reached 10 points and dished out five assists en route to a 105-91 victory, allowing the Liberty (30-6) to close in on homecourt advantage throughout the upcoming WNBA playoffs.

Laney-Hamilton's return denied rookie Leonie Fiebich another start, but the scorer of a career-best16 in relief lauded the impact her immediate return had on Tuesday's effort.

"I think it shows that we have a goal," Fiebich said. "We know that Bee's pretty tough. For her to get through that pain that she's having, to be part of our identity and how we want to play, she dives into that. Just to see her out there on the court and playing with her is fun, just to watch her be in different actions and really read the ball game well. That's just really cool to see."

Make sure you bookmark All Knicks for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

• Liberty Downs Dallas For 30th Win
• Hubie Inducted in Another Hall of Fame
• Former Knicks Becomes Media Free Agent
• Liberty-Legend-Turned-Foe Documents Bigest Change
• Liberty Survive Thrilling Finals Rematch