It turns out the Liberty’s 48-point beating at the hands of the Sky in the preseason wasn’t meaningless, after all.
It was a warning of what was to come.
For the first time this year, the Liberty looked mortal. For the first time this year, the Liberty looked beatable.
For the first time this year, the Liberty were bullied.
And for the first time this year, the Liberty lost, 90-81, to the Sky on Thursday night at Barclays Center.
Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello said before the game that her team was “complacent” during its ugly preseason loss earlier this month. Thursday night, the Liberty (4-1) were just lost.
Breanna Stewart did not hit a field goal in the first half, and went into the break with three points. Jonquel Jones, in early foul trouble, was a nonfactor and went scoreless in the first half.
The Liberty trailed by as many as 10 points in the second quarter and were behind by eight at halftime.
That deficit increased to 11 in the third quarter, but Sabrina Ionescu subsequently sparked a furious 11-0 run and the Liberty tied the game, 45-45, with 5:24 left in the quarter.
And it was Ionescu who later expertly found a cutting Jonquel Jones with 7:44 left in the fourth quarter to give the Liberty a 68-67 lead — their first since a 9-6 lead with 5:29 left in the first quarter.
Surely, last year’s WNBA runners-up were about to blow the game open.
But the Sky (2-1) responded with a knockout blow. They ripped off a 13-3 run to re-establish a nine-point lead, and never looked back.
Ionescu carried the Liberty’s scoring load with her co-stars struggling around her, finishing with 19 points and six assists.
But it wasn’t enough, as Stewart finished with 18 and Betnijah Laney finished with nine. Jones played just 21 minutes, in foul trouble all night, finishing with eight points.
Despite spending the last two days stressing that they knew what was coming their way, the Liberty allowed the Sky to do what they do best — create turnovers and score in transition.
Entering Thursday in the top three in the WNBA in steals, blocks and fast-break points per game, the Sky hounded the Liberty and produced 14 turnovers and 19 fast-break points, owning a 19-11 advantage in the latter.
the Liberty’s loss. Noah K. Murray-NY Post
Sky head coach Teresa Weatherspoon, a Liberty legend who is in the Liberty Ring of Honor and the Basketball Hall of Fame, received a loud ovation and was given a video tribute in the first quarter.
She is in her first season in charge of the Sky.
Sky rookie Angel Reese — drafted No. 7 last month after starring at LSU — received a good reception as she was introduced, a testament to her popularity and impact on women’s basketball.
She finished with 13 points and nine rebounds. Marina Mabrey paced the Sky with 21 points.
After a night of firsts this year for the Liberty, they’ll have another one Friday — their first game coming off a loss.
How will the superteam respond?
