Liberty Go Into Commissioner's Cup Final on Dreamy Note
Amidst Georgia-based drudgery in The Bronx, the New York Liberty avenged their pinstriped pals in their own visit to the Peach State.
New York closed a busy weekend in style, dealing a 96-75 nightmare to the Atlanta Dream at Gateway Center Arena at College Park. Once again playing with eight women, the Liberty's headliners handled business, as Sabrina Ionescu posted a 26-point, 11-assist double-double while Jonquel Jones equaled the feat with 13 points and 10 boards. Breanna Stewart had 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting, falling two rebounds and four assists short of a triple-double.
The win, combined with the Connecticut Sun's loss in Seattle, placed the Liberty (15-3) in first place on the WNBA leaderboard amidst a packed Sunday slate.
Sunday's win was finished about 24 hours after the Liberty placed finishing touches upon a win over the Los Angeles Sparks in Broolyn. While things got a little bit scary in the fourth quarter (which saw Atlanta eat away at a lead that summitted at 33 somewhat quickly), a sterling second period showing afforded the exhausted Liberty room for error and a chance to let some of their role players play extended minutes.
"You see the chemistry continue to grow," head coach Sandy Brondello said. "You talk about Sabrina and (Jones') chemsitry, their ability to move the ball and how we space the floor, but it starts with our defense, which can create offense as well ... we've got some great players who know how to put the ball in the hole. It's fun to watch when they're just playing selfless basketball."
All eight Liberty women scored at least six points, many of which were earned during a first half that saw over 71 percent of their shots fall. Ionescu had 20 alone, reach that plateau for the third straight game, the fifth such streak of her career.
In addition to Ionescu's normal activities from deep, the Liberty (15-3) enjoyed a perfect 4-of-4 breakout from first-round rookie Marquesha Davis, the headliner of a 33-20 advantage. When Atlanta chipped away at the lead, Leonie Fiebich woke up the Liberty offense long enough to seal the deal.
Sunday served as a sterling showcase for Davis, the Liberty's most recent first-round pick. The 11th overall choice from earlier this spring had her most active outing as a pro to date, scoring nine points (an infantile career-best) and two rebounds in just over 13 minutes.
"It felt great," Davis said. "I've been trying to stay ready and just, each time I get in, embrace the opportunity."
"I think just the ability to not have a drop-off when the bench comes in is huge from a scoring aspect but just being able to attack and continue to provide a lift," Ionescu said. "When you come in, you want to do what you can to maintain the lead that's there and plug the holes that's needed. I think (Davis) saw a great opportunity just by watching to start the game that driving lanes were open and she'd be able to attack in transition."
Former New Yorkers held water for the Rhyne Howard-less Dream (6-9), as Tina Charles scored 19 points while Crystal Dangerfield had nine off the bench. Atlanta will visit Barclays Center to close out the month on June 30, which will serve as the next Liberty contest to count toward the regular season standings.
In the meantime, the Liberty will partake in Tuesday's Commissioner's Cup final at UBS Arena on Tuesday night against the Minnesota Lynx (8 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime Video).
GEOFF MAGLIOCCHETTI
Editor-In-Chief at All Knicks