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The New York Liberty aren’t going to get sympathy from anyone in the WNBA, so they didn’t waste time making excuses after their third loss in the last four games.
“This isn't going to be the hardest thing that we face all season and we have to embrace the adversity a little bit,” Breanna Stewart said. “There's things that we can control like turnovers and really [doing] a good job with the group that we have right now is important for later because you never know what's gonna happen.”
The latest misstep came in an 89-79 defeat against the Storm in Seattle. New York was sloppy with the ball and couldn’t get the big stop without it, but the loss comes with a major asterisk. The Liberty were down three starters with Leonie Fiebich still overseas, Jonquel Jones out at least a month with an ankle injury and Sabrina Ionescu a late scratch after tweaking her neck.
When the Liberty lost on Thursday to the Phoenix Mercury, head coach Sandy Brondello criticized her team for lacking energy and picking its spots to be aggressive. She had a different tune on Sunday, a game in which the short-handed Liberty committed 20 turnovers, allowing the Storm to attempt 19 more field goals.
“Compared to the last few games, we played really hard for 40 minutes,” she said. “Was it perfect? No. But we were right there. I think we were persistent. We're disappointed that we didn't win it.”
Stewart turned in one of her more complete games of the season, scoring 18 to go with seven assists and nine rebounds. Marine Johannès, thrust into the starting lineup for the first time this season, made her first seven shots, including three threes, to keep the Liberty close as turnovers mounted.
“I think their defense was pushing us to play faster than we like,” Johannès said. “And I think maybe we are not in a good spot at the right time, sometimes.”
When the Liberty didn’t turn the ball over, the offense sputtered in the second half. Stewart agreed with her teammate that the Storm’s defense played a major role.
“They were blowing everything up with Marine, so [it’s] almost like we were getting too late in the shot clock and then we had to get downhill,” she said. “We wanted to get to the basket…but I think middle of the fourth [quarter] we started cutting and finding those cutters a little bit better.”
To be fair, the Liberty needed to use lineups they have not run out against outside competition much this season, if at all.
The Liberty’s on-court chemistry has been a popular topic in 2025, which is to be expected with another year of Stewart, Jones and Ionescu playing together. With new faces in the starting lineup, the Liberty needed to simplify their approach.
“There’s things we could have done better, but I thought we simplified some of the stuff that we wanted to, and when we did that, I thought it worked really well,” Brondello said. “And when we didn't play with that… spacing and movement, then we didn't look as good. I think the players feel it out there when we play the right way and we're moving it and putting the right people in action. But everyone needs to be aggressive to make it offense work.”
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The replacement starters, which also included Nyara Sabally (8 points, 9 rebounds) and Rebekah Gardner (season-high 12 points) were impressive in their new roles, perhaps an encouraging sign as New York continues this brutal four-game road swing.
Liberty avoid another injury after Jaylyn Sherrod scare
The Liberty’s dire injury situation almost worsened when Jaylyn Sherrod was helped to the locker room in the first half with an apparent leg injury. She later returned and Brondello confirmed that was with the blessing of the team’s medical staff.
Sherrod finished with a career-high-tying eight points, as well as career highs in rebounds (3), assists (3) and steals (2).
It was another step forward for the second-year guard who Brondello turned to a week ago when her team was lacking energy. It was her third straight game playing minutes of consequence and she has become a trustworthy asset on both ends, playing tough defense and taking care of the ball. In 26 total minutes in the past week, she has committed one turnover.
“She gave us some good minutes,” Brondello said. “She just brings so much energy.”
The Liberty expect Ionescu back on Wednesday when they visit the Golden State Valkyries. If she is active, the team will have 10 available players.
