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When a team is in a funk but finally wins a game, it’s hard to tell whether it’s a blip on the radar or if the group has truly turned it around. For New York Liberty fans, that was certainly the case on Tuesday night, but there’s reason to hope that the worst of this losing spell is behind them.
The Liberty beat the Las Vegas Aces, 87-78, in front of more than 15,000 people at Barclays Center, and they did it by playing a more complete game than they have in over a month.
That meant starting both halves strong, which has been a struggle for this team since Jonquel Jones went down with an ankle injury.
“The games that we've lost, a lot of those have been in the third quarter,” Sabrina Ionescu explained. “And it's just a lapse of about five to six minutes in the third where we come out a little bit lax and teams are able to take the lead, and then we have to try to dig ourselves out of the hole.”
On Tuesday, she said, she was able to see the energy her team came out with after halftime, executing the adjustments they made in the locker room after ending the first 20 minutes down by two.
One of those halftime adjustments wasn’t tactical, it was mental.
As Kennedy Burke explained, the team returned to the court after just a few minutes during the break.
“Coach wanted us to get out a little bit early on in the quarter,” she said. “I think that was the biggest thing because usually we come out a little bit under five [minutes], so just going out a little bit earlier at the seven-minute mark really helped us get a little bit more of a warmup and just being ready for that third quarter.”
Head coach Sandy Brondello has been critical of her team’s defense amid its losing stretch that saw a 9-0 start turn into a 12-6 third-place spot in the WNBA standings. After the Liberty lost to the Seattle Storm on Sunday, Nyara Sabally said the team was being too reactive defensively, rather than proactive. Unprompted, Ionescu brought up how the issue seemed to resolve itself against the Aces.
“We talked about just being more aggressive on defense,” Ionescu said. “We play our offense a lot better when we play great defense, so that was the goal”
Liberty win came after an honest team meeting
The Liberty know they have been without multiple starters for most of their losing stretch. As Jones has sat, Leonie Fiebich, Natasha Cloud and Ionescu have all cycled in and out with injuries and overseas commitments.
The defending WNBA champions expect no sympathy from the rest of the league.
So the morning of the Aces game, they held a team meeting. It wasn’t to point fingers or air frustrations — it was just an opportunity to lift each other up and reaffirm how to make the most out of the talent they have available.
“I think sometimes it's nice to just air things out, put it out in the open, and there wasn't anything immaculate that was said from there,” Breanna Stewart said. “Just giving the space and the opportunity for players to say what's on their mind and know that we trust this group completely and we have to get back to our confident selves.”
Marine Johannès agreed, shedding more light on the open conversation among the players.
“I think it was just good to [get] feedback from everyone, and I think it was a good moment to do it, too,” she said.
The Liberty now have a few days off to try and get healthy. Cloud and Isabelle Harrison were both late scratches on Tuesday and are considered day-to-day. The team will take the court next on Sunday at home against the Atlanta Dream.
