There are certain games you just have to get. When you’re trying to establish yourself as championship contenders, you have to bring your A game against a contender in a big time setting. With the eyes of the world on them, the New York Liberty delivered when it mattered most.
The New York Liberty welcomed the Indiana Fever to Barclays Center on Saturday night. As usual when the Fever are in town, there’s a lot going on. However, the Liberty were thrilled to play this matchup as it marked the return
of Leonie Fiebich.
Fiebich has been out of action with a foot injury since early July, and the team’s defense had fallen off a cliff in her absence. With the wing back, the Liberty offense felt more purposeful and they were able to find various ways to get into the paint and make good things happen.
On the night, Fiebich had 20/5/5/1 in 34 minutes. Even taking into account her scoring, Fiebich had a big night on the defensive end. The Liberty cycled a series of defenders on Fever superstar Caitlin Clark, and Leo had the most success against her. Per ESPN, Fiebich held Clark to just 2-7 shooting when she was the primary defender — she also went 3-for-4 from the field when Clark was her primary defender.
”It felt like she was impacting the game in so many different areas, and I think even in areas that weren’t on the stat sheet,“ Jonquel Jones said. ”Picking up full court, being really aggressive defensively, [and] helping us set the tone defensively. I think it was an all-around game for her. I can’t really pinpoint one thing that I would consider that she did the best because she just really did everything at a high level tonight.“
Even with Leo’s return, the Fever are an incredibly hard team to keep down for too long. Indiana is the best offensive team in the WNBA this season and are on track to have the highest offensive rating in WNBA history. The Fever rallied from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit and got the game tied up with under two minutes. In a sold-out Barclays Center, the Fever contingent made their presence felt in a major way.
In a big time matchup that could double as a playoff preview, you’ve got to find a way to win, especially in front of the hometown audience. Luckily for New York, Fiebich was here to save the day
The Fever still had their chances, but Fiebich got Clark on a switch and was able to heavily contest her floater to keep the Liberty at three. From there, Clark committed a frustration foul on Pauline Astier on one end, and to make matters worse, missed two free throws when she had a chance to make it a one possession game with under 24 seconds to go. That sealed the deal and made the already congested WNBA standingsa wee bit tighter.
Final score: New York Liberty 109, Indiana Fever 102
With Fiebich back, everything about the Liberty makes a little more sense. The rotations are cleaner, the team has more length, and her two-way excellence allows New York to play closer to its intended identity. There’s still work to do, but the Liberty are heading in the right direction.
Protests and Counterprotests Outside Barclays Center
If you’ve spent any time on the internet or watched much WNBA coverage this summer, you know about the controversy surrounding Fever wing Sophie Cunningham. It began when Cunningham made comments regarding trans people participating in sports to ESPN in a feature article. Cunningham’s commentary about not wanting trans athletes competing in women’s sports has led to mountains of discussion, and unfortunately, some bad faith individuals trying to invade the WNBA space. Prior to the game, protesters of all stripes were at the Barclays Center plaza.
“I’m here because this is the WNBA; we’re a progressive league,” a protester named Hannah told USA Today’s Meghan L. Hall. “We are and have always been a safe space for queer people, for trans people, for people of color ― for everyone. This is not what the league is about. Transphobia is not what the league is about, and quite frankly, I think the argument that trans people don’t belong in women’s sports is just a gateway to saying trans people don’t belong.”
Throughout this ordeal and more broadly since she joined the Fever, Cunningham’s popularity has exploded. She has, intentionally or otherwise, become the face of a movement that seeks to exclude trans people from sports and while Sophie herself wants to keep the focus on basketballand doesn’t think this is a distraction, her supporters made their presence felt inside and outside of Barclays Center, where she received her fair share of cheers.
For most players other than Cunningham that have been asked about it, they’ve tried to play things down the middle as best as they can. It’s a delicate balance they’re trying to walk, and based on the world we currently inhabit, one they’ll have to continue walking for the foreseeable future.
“Everyone is entitled to their own opinion,” Breanna Stewart said prior to the game. “This league is incredibly inclusive, in what we continue to fight for and stand up against. So we don’t want to take that platform away. We just want to make sure that everyone is still educated and knowing that like the things that brought this league together between the fight and the grit and like the camaraderie, we can’t let that take us apart by outside hate.”
You don’t leave people behind. When marginalized communities are targeted by powerful entities, it’s on us to push back against that and create spaces that are as welcoming and safe as possible. It makes for a better, kinder, and safer world for all of us.
And before I go, I would definitely recommend this wonderful story by my friend and NetsDaily colleague, Lucas Kaplan!
Next Up: Golden State Valkyries
The Liberty will be at home for the next week as we draw closer to the FIBA World Cup break. They return to action on Thursday, August 27 against the Golden State Valkyries. Tip after 8 PM.
