NY Liberty vs. Connecticut Sun: Liberty look to get back on track

Photo by Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Photo by Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Better, but not enough to reach the finish line. The New York Liberty gave the Minnesota Lynx all they could handle on Wednesday night, but it wasn’t enough to help them pull off the upset. The L was New York’s third in a row.

The opponent tonight is figuring things out. The Connecticut Sun are in rebuild mode and hope to figure out what the future holds. They’ve been off since Monday night after losing to the Seattle Storm at home.

Where to follow the game

No Breanna Stewart, Nyara Sabally, or Kennedy Burke.

All clear for

the Sun.

The game

The Liberty won the first meeting in June.

The thing about WNBA rosters is they’re woefully short considering all the talent that’s available. It leaves teams in an unfortunate because someone good has to get cut even if you don’t want to. And unfortunately for the Liberty and Liberty fans, that someone was Jaylyn Sherrod. Jaylyn hinted to that possibility on social media on Wednesday night, and the team announced that reality this morning

Once a Liberty, always a Liberty. pic.twitter.com/iLnXgDyKqB

— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) August 1, 2025

Sherrod played hard in her two seasons in New York and will always be immortalized as a WNBA champion. She can walk away with her head held high.

That move means the Liberty have officially brought Emma Meesseman in. When we last saw Big Meesse, she was balling out for the Belgian National Team during the 2024 Olympics. She’s with the team in Uncasville and will make her return to the WNBA on Sunday afternoon. With Stewart out, chances are she starts at power forward, but we’ll see how the story unfolds from here.

Sabrina Ionescu has been making a tremendous All-WNBA first team case. Sab scored 30 points against the Lynx and was able to consistently break the defense down and get to the rim. When Sab is able to score from all three levels, she takes her game to even higher heights and presents matchup nightmares for opponents.

With defenses putting so much attention on Ionescu, it’ll open things up for Marine Johannès. If you’ve heard the Liberty say it once, you’ve heard them say it a thousand times: “Let Marine be Marine.” When Jojo is dialed in and in a rhythm, she’s hell on wheels and can get a shot up any time. With Leonie Fiebich dealing with (and playing through) a hand injury, this is a perfect time for MJ to try and do a little more on that end.

We’ll get a chance to watch one of the coolest rookies in the league this season. Saniya Rivers’ pro debut was delayed due to the sudden passing of her mom after the Draft, but she’s been electric since making her debut. She’s active in the passing lanes and has a lightning quick first step going to the rim. Her pro career is off to a good start and as she continues to get reps, her star will shine even brighter.

Tina Charles has been such a steadying force for Connecticut. The future Hall of Famer leads the team in scoring and rebounding this season. Most importantly, she’s been a great mentor for young frontcourt players like Aneesah Morrow and Olivia Nelson-Ododa. As she does that, she’ll draw the matchup against Jonquel Jones tonight. JJ didn’t get a chance to fully impact the game on Wednesday as the Lynx crowded her space and made getting the ball to her on the inside a daunting challenge for the Liberty. With Stewart out indefinitely, the team will need some more from Jones and it’s up to the team to find ways to get her the ball in the best position.

Player to watch: Marina Mabrey

Funny how things change. Earlier this year, Marina Mabrey was looking for the first train out of Uncasville, but the Sun told her no. Since then, she’s been a steadying vet presence for this young Sun team and could have had an All-Star appearance if she didn’t get injured. With the trade deadline right around the corner, Mabrey is someone we might need to keep an eye on to see if she’ll be joining a contender. If she does leave Connecticut, her new team will get a player that can lead an offense, provide some scoring punch, and...

Why is Marina like this! ! She hit them with the milli rock in the middle of a massive collective crash out pic.twitter.com/eA9B8m8nr0

— Anna The Ivorian ™️ (@annatheivorian) June 18, 2025

You need somebody like that on your squad!

Natasha Cloud is not on the injury report, so hopefully that illness she was dealing with on Wednesday has passed. Even at less than full strength, Tash kept the Liberty’s tempo up and pushed downhill. The team needs that if they want to be their best selves on offense. Cloud has also shown an ability to do more on offense and if she’s forcing the issue, she can create plenty of free throw opportunities against a team that has been especially foul prone.

From the Vault

It’s Summerslam weekend!

More reading: CT Insider, Swish Appeal, Swish Appeal, Breakaway, SB Nation, Women’s Basketball Roundup, The Local W, New York Daily News, No Cap Space, New York Post, The Athletic, NY Liberty Fan TV, Fansided, Just Women’s Sports, Winsidr, Her Hoop Stats, Yahoo Sports, ESPN, CBS Sports, and The Next

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