We’re back. The New York Liberty opened the preseason on April 25 against the Indiana Fever. They lost 109-91, but put some good tape together that they can build on.
The opponent tonight is gearing up for a long season. The Connecticut Sun are embarking to Houston starting in 2027, but have to finish things up in Uncasville first. They traveled to Toronto to face the Tempo on April 29 and came away with an 83-78 win.
Where to follow the game
ION on TV and streaming. Tip after 5:00 p.m. ET.
Injuries
The following are out:
- Rebecca Allen – OUT (Reconditioning)
- Marine Fauthoux – OUT (Reconditioning)
- Raquel Carrera – NWT (Overseas Competition)
- Leonie Fiebich – NWT (Overseas Competition)
- Ugonne Onyiah
Satou Sabally
and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton are both questionable.
The following are out for the Sun:
- Leïla Lacan
- Aaliyah Edwards
- Shey Peddy
- Nell Angloma
The game
Assuming she plays, we’ll be seeing the preseason debut of Satou Sabally this afternoon. Sabally missed the first preseason game as she was doing return to play conditioning. With this being the last preseason outing before games count, she probably won’t be out there too long this afternoon.
The main goal for everyone today is to make it out healthy. With the regular season starting in a few days, today is all about installing more of your stuff on offense while having an idea as to what your early rotations will be. These teams will face each other on Opening Night so they won’t reveal too much this afternoon.
We get to meet one of the early favorites to make the roster. We got to chat with newcomer Pauline Astier at practice on May 1, which you can watch below
Every day is an opportunity to put your best foot forward.
Player to watch: Anneli Maley
Today is also about who on the bench can do enough to break through and make the roster for Opening Night. Someone who’s making a good case for themselves is newcomer Anneli Maley. Maley was one of the highlights in the game against the Fever and brings her fair share of intangibles to the court:
“I play really hard, so scoring is not my first priority. I’m a really, really good rebounder. I’m a hustle player. I leave everything out there, like, I just want to play harder than everyone else and I just want that to be seen and hopefully a bit of my personality shines through all that.”
For a Liberty team that struggled on the glass last season, Maley’s efforts could prove to be incredibly valuable for them this season if she makes the team.
Diamond Miller is looking to find her footing on her new team. Miller was acquired from the Dallas Wings in a trade back in April and the former number two pick hopes she can get an extended opportunity to make a name for herself here. She’s bounced around a lot in her young career, but in a season in which the Sun will be focusing on their future, she should get as much time as possible to find her game.
From the Vault
Salute to The New Day
More reading: CT Insider, Hartford Courant, Swish Appeal, Breakaway, SB Nation, Women’s Basketball Roundup, The Local W, New York Daily News, No Cap Space, New York Post, Newsday, The Athletic, NY Liberty Fan TV, Fansided, Just Women’s Sports, Winsidr, Her Hoop Stats, Yahoo Sports, ESPN, CBS Sports, and The IX Basketball
- New York Liberty Game Notes – New York Liberty
- Connecticut Sun Game Notes – Connecticut Sun
- Liberty get one last chance to work out kinks in preseason as Chris DeMarco’s vision takes shape – Madeline Kenney – New York Post
