Subscribe
Follow Us
Jonquel Jones sent a clear message to the WNBA after the New York Liberty dismantled the Connecticut Sun, 100-52, on Sunday.
“We are exactly who we think we are,” she said as her team improved to 7-0 on the season.
The unbeaten start matched a franchise record on a day in which the Liberty practically rewrote their own record books. Their 48-point win was a franchise regular season record, their 19 made threes matched the WNBA record they set just 10 days ago, and they tied their all-time record for made threes in a half with 12. Their 19 consecutive assisted field goals in the first quarter were also the second-most in WNBA history.
“We know that we're a team that when we go out there, we play our basketball every night, we're extremely hard to beat,” Jones continued. “We understand that it's the standard and we're working towards trying to win another [championship].”
With the Minnesota Lynx, the Liberty’s 2024 Finals opponent, also unbeaten, it’s too early to anoint New York as the team to beat. It’s not too early, however, to acknowledge that the team has clicked offensively far quicker than it did during their championship season.
At this time last year, the Liberty were still figuring out how to find their best shot. Even in their wins, the ball got stuck too often on one side of the court and the decision-making left much to be desired.
That hasn’t been the case in 2025. Part of that is due to the core just having more experience together. Another part is total buy-in throughout the roster. Everyone who played for New York on Sunday scored and 10 different players hit a three (another Liberty record).
“It was great to be able to see the contribution from everyone,” said Sabrina Ionescu, who finished with a team-high 18 points and four made threes. “Everyone came out really ready, everyone scored and contributed in a really impactful way.”
More impressively, the Liberty were playing for the fourth time in the last six days. The team never showed signs of fatigue, never trailing and leading by as many as 57 points.
“We had to go out there and be the best we can, and obviously we knew there's 17,000 fans there tonight, and that was kind of my message before the game,” Ionescu added. “There could be new fans, new kids that come and want to watch us for the first time.”
All 17,415 fans in attendance also saw the Liberty outscore Connecticut 29-2 in fast-break points. Ionescu credited that number to the team’s defense.
“We were able to get stops, steals, deflections, rebounds, holding [them to] one shot,” she said.
Article Continues Below
Liberty guard Natasha Cloud compares her game to Jrue Holiday
Natasha Cloud also deserves some credit for how seamlessly the offense has flowed so far in 2025. She started the season filling up the scoring column, averaging 18.7 points through the Liberty’s first three games and earning Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors along the way.
Over the last four, her scoring has dipped, but she has averaged 6.3 assists per game. She takes pride in her ability to score, distribute, defend and do everything in between, comparing herself to Jrue Holiday of the Boston Celtics.
“Look at me as Jrue Holiday. I think that is the greatest player comparison,” she said. “I really appreciate everything he does. Whatever this team needs on any given night, that’s what my job’s gonna be.”
She added that whatever it is she’s adding, it all comes back to energy.
“It can be really easy in a well-oiled machine as a new player to just fall in line,” she said. “But understanding that I’m bringing something different to the team this year that is needed and necessary. That’s my doggedness on both sides of the floor.”
With Cloud in tow and the Liberty rolling, New York finally gets some time off. They play next on Thursday at a Washington Mystics team that they beat by 22 on the road two days ago.
