WATCH: Liberty's Sabrina Ionescu Dazzles, Just Misses Win in Stephen Curry Shootout
This New York groove proved to be a trail-blazing dance on Saturday night.
In a co-ed showdown of basketball legends, Sabrina Ionescu fell just short of NBA All-Star glory but nonetheless dazzled in a long-distance shootout with Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors. Shooting first in the highly-anticipated "Stephen vs. Sabrina" All-Star Saturday event at Lucas Oil Stadium, Ionescu tallied 26 points but Curry hit 29, perhaps appropriately taking the exhibition by a three-point margin.
View Ionescu's full performance below (h/t SNY):
In the early stages, Ionescu appeared to be at least somewhat close to her torrid pace on display at the WNBA All-Star festivities in Las Vegas last summer, sinking all five shots afforded to her on the opening rack from the corner. It was Ionescu's sterling effort in Sin City, one that saw her sink 25-of-27 en route to her closing triumph, that brought about the idea of a matchup against Curry, the NBA's all-time leader in three-pointers.
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Things somewhat cooled down from there (missing both three-point shots from "Starry range" didn't help) but she ended the contest with 26 points, which would've been to sit among the four winners of the opening round of the standard contest won by Damian Lillard of Milwaukee. Lillard also reached 26 in his final round, which saw him get past Karl-Anthony Towns and Trae Young.
Ionescu and Curry were granted a standing ovation in the aftermath and the latter was issued a championship belt upon securing his victory. Despite her defeat, Ionescu perhaps walked away a winner among the quotables.
"I think a night like tonight shows a lot of young girls and young boys that if you can shoot, you can shoot," Ionescu said in a post-event interview with Ernie Johnson of TNT. "It doesn't matter if you're a girl or boy, I think (what) just matters (is) the heart that you have and wanting to be the best that you can be."
Ionescu returns to action with the Liberty on May 15 when New York opens its 2024 season against the Washington Mystics.
