The New York Liberty put fans at ease with Wednesday night’s victory over the Toronto Tempo, not just because they won. They’re finally, nearly healthy; only Sabrina Ionescu missed Wednesday’s game, nor was she available for Saturday’s contest against the Indiana Fever. But given the injuries New York has had, missing just one player, even a star like Ionescu, is major progress.
New York also had a few practice days before the Toronto matchup, which paid clear dividends with the team playing their most well-rounded game of the season (excluding an Opening Night romp of a terrible Connecticut Sun team). The offense hummed in particualr; the Libs got everything in the paint, from three, or at the line, all while a grabbing a season-high 11 offensive boards.
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It was NYL’s third straight win, bringing them to 6-4 and proving the hope that they’d get it going with health and consistent game reps was reasonable.
The Indiana Fever, who entered Saturday at 5-4, have had a more chaotic start to their season but are in a similar spot, fancying themselves a true contender in need of some time to get it together. A Saturday night showdown on national television? For both teams, this had a little more at stake than your average early June game, and they played at a breakneck pace early, with the Fever up by four after the first quarter. The Liberty defended Indiana’s stars pretty well, but Monique Billings had some huge minutes for the guests, finishing with a season-high 15 points…
Marine Johannès hit a couple early threes for the Liberty. Then, silence. Not just from Johannès, who finished with eight points, but the whole team. Johannès hit her second triple about four minutes into the game, and New York did not make another one until … whenever they play next. The Liberty did not make a 3-pointer over the game’s final 36 minutes. They only play 40! And Miraculously, the Libs were in it the whole time. They won the turnover battle 15-11, they again set a season-high with 13 offensive rebounds, and were taking all the right shots but couldn’t make any of ‘em.
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“I actually felt pretty confident,” said Satou Sablly. “Because I mean, we were still right there and have only made two threes, so I think that just says a lot about our other abilities. And if a layup doesn’t go in, you can’t really be down. Like, you just have to run back, because they will push it down the lane pretty fast.”
Though the Liberty did a decent job of hustling back in transition, the Fever missed plenty of good looks as well, taking a slim a 40-37 lead into the half. The game got even uglier in the third quarter, and New York went down by a dozen. But the game then flipped. Not because the Liberty made many shots, but, like that first win against the Phoenix Mercury, they rolled out a full-court press midway through the third quarter, forcing turnovers and playing with tremendous physicality.
“I think the defense really created a momentum shift for us,” said Satou Sabally postgame. “We really have to start the game like that, and Stewie challenged us at halftime just be the aggressor in this game and not let them dictate.”
Stewie not only challenged the group, but led the way, posting 30/8/2/4/0 on, get this, 18-of-21 from the line. That is the seventh time in WNBA history one player has taken 20+ freebies in a game, and the Libs went a ridiculous 26-of-28 on FTs in the second half alone! Profitable? Yes. Watchable? Ehhhh … in any case, the Liberty deserved most of those free throws with how they attacked the rim, while the Fever probably could have had a couple more calls go their way on the other end.
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“I think the refs did a really good job of allowing us to understand the way that they were going to call the game,” said Jonquel Jones.
Sabally was second on the team with 13 points, all at the rim or the line, and her driving helped New York get within a possession entering the fourth quarter, where they rolled.
Kelsey Mitchell made a few shots to finish with 21 on 7-of-21 shooting, but Caitlin Clark again couldn’t buy a jumper, posting 10/7/9 on 4-of-14. Aliyah Boston didn’t shoot well either, and so Indiana, like the Libs, couldn’t make timely shots. Losing the possession game and the free-throw game was a death sentence for the visitors.
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Said Chris DeMarco: “We had 11 turnovers, and we just want to keep that below ten, but they only scored four points off them, so it’s a possession thing. And then we had 13 offensive rebounds; I’ll say it again, yeah we missed threes, but it gives us a chance, right?”
Pauline Astier was the only other Lib in double digits, and she closed Indiana out by attacking (Caitlin Clark) in pick-and-roll…
Said Astier: “Yeah, I just tried to read the game, but also be aggressive. We knew Caitlin had five fouls, so we’re just trying to keep going and keep being aggressive, even for the finish or just for the pass outside.”
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All the usual clichés were flying postgame. New York’s grit, physicality, finding a way to win, etc…. and they’re all true, to be clear. It was a tremendous win, a Commissioner’s Cup win no less, moving them to 2-0 in the in-season tournament. Whereas I may describe it as ugly, DeMarco called it “massive,” assured that shots will go in next time around but that the defense and intensity will carry them through the season.
He’s right, after all. It was a hell of a win for the New York Liberty; let’s hope they find prettier ways to win moving forward.
Final Score: New York Liberty 83, Indiana Fever 75
Next Up
Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images
And with that, the seven-game homestand is complete. Next up: A visit to Connecticut to take on the Sun. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET on Monday, where Jonquel Jones will be honored as a franchise legend.
