The Liberty All-Stars return but the team staggers at home
The New York Liberty began this season winning three of their four games, with the only loss by just two points to the Portland Fire. The post The Liberty All-Stars return but the team staggers at home appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.
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The New York Liberty began this season winning three of their four games, with the only loss by just two points to the Portland Fire. The 3-1 start was without two 2025 WNBA All Stars, point guard Sabrina Ionescu and forward Satou Sabally, the latter who the Liberty signed as a free agent in April. The team was certain to become stronger when they returned, right?
That hasn’t been the case.
New York opened a seven-game homestand at Barclays Center on May 21 and had lost the first three games prior to last night’s contest versus the Phoenix Mercury, including a second defeat to the expansion Portland Fire on Monday, 81-74, to fall to 3-4.
Sabally played below her established standard in her Liberty debut on May 21, an 87-70 loss to the Golden State Valkyries. She logged 15 minutes starting in the frontcourt with Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones, going 2-8 for five points. This past Sunday, Sabally was much better, scoring 20 points as the Liberty fell to the Dallas Wings 91-76.
The next night, the 28-year-old, six-year league veteran exited the game versus the Fire after the first four minutes with an illness and did not return. Meanwhile, her college teammate with the Oregon Ducks, Ionescu, returned against the Wings. She had seven assists and five rebounds, but was off target in her shooting, missing 11 of 15 field goal attempts and ending with 11 points. Ionescu did not play on Monday in the second end of a back-to-back game.
“It’s a learning experience for everyone,” forward Breanna Stewart said after Sunday’s loss.
“I think that my message to the players in the locker room is like, ‘Nobody expected this and not to say we thought it was going to be easy because we definitely didn’t, but it’s going to take time. And there’s going to be highs and lows, and while it seems like we’re in the lows right now, eventually we’ll get to a place where everybody’s really confident and comfortable in what’s going on.’”
Stewart added, “Listen, I’m happy it’s happening early and not late. And I know we did a lot of wrong things tonight but I thought that our fight and effort were definitely better than what it was last night for sure.”
Liberty first-year head coach Christopher DeMarco echoed Stewart’s viewpoint.
“Our biggest thing is like we’re gonna have confidence going into the Phoenix game,” first-year Liberty head coach Christopher DeMarco said. “We’ll be ready to play. That’s it.”
New York will host the Mercury again on Friday and next Wednesday, face the expansion Toronto Tempo, who are led by former Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello, who guided the team to the 2024 title, the franchise’s first league championship.
The post The Liberty All-Stars return but the team staggers at home appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.
