For the second Olympic cycle in a row, Team USA women’s basketball lost its tune-up to Team WNBA in the WNBA All-Star Game. This time, it was a 117-109 loss in Phoenix as Arike Ogunbowale scored 34 points in the second half to stun Breanna Stewart and the Olympians.
Stewart has been here before — not just in 2021 when the Olympic team fell 93-85 to the WNBA All-Stars, but even this season with the New York Liberty.
The Liberty are 21-4, their best mark through 25 games in franchise history. They are also co-favorites with the two-time-defending champion Las Vegas Aces to win the WNBA championship (+155).
But it hasn’t all been easy. Even through their early season winning streaks, the Liberty had periods of struggle. They took their foot off the gas and lost big leads, played too unselfishly at times, and had too many defensive breakdowns.
After the All-Star Game on Saturday night, Stewart echoed some of the points she and her teammates made earlier in the season.
“It’s not time to panic but it is time to learn and grow and figure out how we can be our best together,” she said on Saturday. “I think that we have a group of very unselfish players… sometimes too unselfish.”
Stewart then added something that also took time to nail down with the Liberty.
“It's a fine line of playing your game, but also knowing who's to the left and right of you and we know that we have an advantage already because of our depth,” she said.
That was a problem for New York in May when the Liberty went on the road and lost back-to-back games to the Chicago Sky and Minnesota Lynx. The team came back and at practice that week, Jonquel Jones was blunt.
“I felt like everybody was trying to do something but sometimes doing nothing is OK,” she said. “Sometimes it's just spacing, waiting for things to develop instead of just screening down for no reason or moving for no reason.”
After that loss to the Lynx, who shot 50% from three in that game, Stewart stressed playing more together on defense.
“I think that defensively we need to be setting the tone more and really on the same page,” she said.
She followed the All-Star Game with the same concern for Team USA.
“What we need to do better is just continue to be on the same page defensively,” Stewart said.
The similarities shouldn’t be shocking. In May, the Liberty were coming off a limited training camp and an offseason where some starters went overseas and the franchise overhauled the bench.
Even after reaching the WNBA Finals last year, the Liberty needed time to gel and the players made that point ad nauseam. Even after winning gold in 2021 (and the six Olympics before that), this team also needs time to gel.
“We are fresh coming off of our respective teams,” A’ja Wilson reminded the media. “But at the same time, I don't know, it's just something about when you come to USA [Basketball] that switch flips and we lock in. So, we have to adjust to different schemes, different languages and trust the trust the process.”
Breanna Stewart and Team USA can’t wait to get to London
Before Team USA heads to Paris, it will get one last tune-up in London against Germany. It will be the first opportunity for the team to play a game without all the All-Star noise.
“Phoenix has been a great host, but I can't wait to get to London where we can really focus in,” Breanna Stewart said. “Just because the commitments that you have and things that are going on during All-Star weekend, it's hard to balance.”
In London, there won’t be any parties, any responsibilities to brand partners, and far fewer family and friends asking for tickets. Just as importantly, it’s 40 minutes more worth of reps, and during that time Stewart and Wilson are ready to lead the charge.
“Everyone knows, this, this is not what we do with USA basketball,” Stewart said of the All-Star loss. “Realizing the amount of pride and pressure that comes along with that. Throughout this entire trip, A’ja and I are gonna continue to find our voices more in the locker room.”
The German team will be a familiar one, particularly for Stewart. Her Liberty teammates, Nyara Sabally and Leonie Fiebich are both likely starters for the team. So is Satou Sabally, Nyara’s sister. The Dallas Wings forward hasn’t played this season as she recovers from a shoulder injury, but has made the German roster.
Team USA will have the chance to prove the All-Star Game was just a minor stumble when it faces Germany on Tuesday. Like in 2021, they still have plenty of confidence.
“We’re still the 12 greatest in the world,” Wilson said. “So we’re gonna get the job done.”
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