The Chicago Sky traveled to New York City to take on the Liberty on Thursday night. Chicago jumped out to a strong early lead, but the Liberty stormed back in the second half to win 91-76. Starting guard Marina Mabrey recalled the Sky's major “issue” with Sabrina Ionescu that led to their painful collapse.
“[Sabrina Ionescu] was 1-for-8, and then she ended 7-for-17, so that's an issue for sure. When she gets going, I feel like the rest of [the Liberty] get going in a sense… that energy that she gives, and then the crowd gets going. It's tough to stop. I think also, we didn't get into our defensive schemes in the ball screen as well in the second half, so that hurt us. We also turned it over a lot,” Mabey revealed after the game.
As Marina Mabrey mentioned, Ionescu started the game cold, but she heated up going into the second half. Ionescu ended the night with 21 points and shot a red-hot 57.1 percent on her three-pointers. The former All-WNBA guard was a huge reason the Liberty were able to steal the Sky's momentum on a night where Breanna Stewart scored modestly.
Veteran Chicago forward Isabelle Harrison played a role in containing Stewart and performed strongly offensively as well. Harrison finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds, earning her first double-double of the 2024 season.
The 30-year-old is coming off a knee injury from the prior season and has been a vital piece of the Sky's bench unit. Harrison said she was grateful to be contributing in a way that helps the team. Furthermore, Harrison provided more insight into Chicago's tough night against the stacked Liberty.
Sky focus on regrouping ahead of Liberty rematch
Harrison spoke about Chicago's keys to keeping Breanna Stewart at bay in preparation for Saturday's rematch against New York.
“I think she's a player you have to be mindful of and very intentional. She reads screens really well. I think today we had a pretty good effort on her [holding her to 14]. I think we can add a little bit more pressure… they're gonna look for her, so we just gotta be active,” Harrison said.
In addition to Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu, the Sky must keep tabs on Jonquel Jones, who finished 18 points on Thursday. Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese did an admirable job against the former All-Star despite not having their best day. Cardoso finished with eight points and seven rebounds. Meanwhile, Reese continued her historical double-double streak, amassing her 15th in a row with 10 points and 10 rebounds. It will be interesting to see if Reese can be a greater factor in the next matchup.
Head coach Teresa Weatherspoon emphasized that Chicago must reflect on how to regain momentum against teams like the Liberty. Weatherspoon said New York was “a heck of a basketball team” with “unreal chemistry.”
Lastly, Isabelle Harrison left the Sky with a positive message ahead of their home rematch on Saturday.
“Stay the course,” Harrison said. “I think looking at the big picture, we have a quick turnaround and we get to see them again… It's really important to have short-term memory. I have confidence in this team and what we can do.”
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