After a hectic off-season that almost featured a work stoppage, the WNBA returned over the weekend, welcoming two new franchises to the fold and numerous familiar faces moving to different places.
Among the teams that saw changes were the New York Liberty, who welcomed former All-WNBA forward Satou Sabally to Brooklyn. New York also entered a new era, as Chris DeMarco was hired as head coach after Sandy Brondello was not retained. Besides that, the team pretty much stayed intact, with the “Big 3” of Sabrina Ionescu, Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones all re-signing with the squad.
Going into the season opener at Barclays Center last Friday, the Liberty were down three players as Ionescu sat out with a left foot injury. Sabally and the other free-agent acquisition, Rebecca Allen, also missed the opener, leaving New York with just nine healthy bodies for the opening weekend. Fortunately for the Liberty, their season debut would take place against the Connecticut Sun, who are in a lame duck season as the franchise is set to relocate to Houston next season.
Stewart led the Liberty with 31 points and 10 rebounds as they cruised to a 106-75 win over the Sun in the season opener this past Friday. Marine Johannes added 17 points, but the revelation was Julie Vanloo, who shone in her time on the court. The second-year guard controlled the game, scoring 12 points and dishing out 11 assists. Now, while much of that came when the game was already decided, it could be a blessing in disguise for a team that had trouble putting together a competent bench for much of the season.
For the second game of the season on Sunday, the Liberty traveled to the nation’s capital to face the Mystics. Once again, New York was without the services of Ionescu, Sabally and Allen for the matchup against the upstart Washington team with young stars Lauren Betts, Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron.
Throughout the game, there were numerous instances of the Liberty forcing the ball to Stewart, trying to make things happen even when the opportunity wasn’t really there. She shot 9-of-23 from the field and finished with a quiet 23 points. Marine Johannes finished with a very loud 25 points, which included six three-pointers, as she ignited the offense many times down the court.
Even with Johannes’ strong offensive showing, the Liberty trailed by as much as eight points in the first and second quarters before coming back to build a 12-point lead in the third quarter. The young Mystics, however, continued to fly around and push the Liberty to overtime in D.C. as Stewart’s game-winning shot was no good in regulation.
A series of timely shots and two big free throws from Betnijah Laney-Hamilton pushed the Liberty ahead as they took down Washington, 98-93, as New York moved to 2-0 in the early going of the season. A tough win at this stage of the season is something Liberty needed to face and persevere through, especially with three key pieces of their puzzle.
Even without the three injured players, the Liberty showed grit and the ability to score when necessary, and that was even without the strong play of Laney-Hamilton, who is still rounding into form as she gets back to normal after injury. A returning Ionescu and Sabally for the Liberty should and will put teams on notice. Add Allen to a bench that has displayed the ability to handle games without the big names early on and there is no reason the Liberty shouldn’t remain in the conversation as a possible title contender.
What’s Next For The Liberty
The Liberty continues their road trip as they travel to the Rose City to face the expansion Portland Fire for two games with the first on Tuesday at 10 p.m. on Tuesday. Coverage of the game can be seen locally on My9 TV or on WNBA League Pass.
