Back-to-backs are always tricky. Particularly when you have two games in two days in two cities.
In order to win, you have to stick together and weather the storm. It’s tough, but it’s something the best teams have to go through. For New York, the first half of their back-to-back came against one of their greatest foes: the Minnesota Lynx.
The two teams have played some of the best basketball in the WNBA dating back to their epic 2024 Finals matchup, and Saturday was no exception. The Liberty found
success on the inside early on as they looked to establish themselves in the paint to start the night.
Minnesota started to take control of the game in the second quarter as they scored 14 points off of ten New York turnovers. They built a ten-point lead at halftime as they made things challenging for everyone not named Breanna Stewart. The Liberty cut the lead down to six in the third quarter, but they allowed Minnesota to go on a run to build the lead to a game high 15.
That’s when Sabrina Ionescu went to work — she scored 19 of her team high 25 points in the third quarter as she consistently found her way into the painted area and finished in traffic.
“I think she wants to punch the paint,” Chris DeMarco said. “She’s always been all around, passing, rebounding, shooting. So she she found the right rhythm and I think our whole team kind of took off.”
New York was able to battle all the way back and capture the lead before the teams threw haymakers in the fourth quarter. Longtime Liberty nemesis Kayla McBride took over in the fourth. K-Mac scored 14 of her team high 25 points in the fourth and her quick release stymied the Liberty defense as she made incredibly tough three pointers over a variety of New York defenders
Even with that, the Liberty had their chances to take this one down the stretch. Down 86-83 in the final minute, Courtney Williams missed a transition layup in traffic. However, she was able to grab the rebound over Han Xu to continue the possession. The Liberty forced another miss, but couldn’t corral the ball as McBride captured the board that led to two Olivia Miles free throws.
With one final chance to force a miss and get a chance at a game-tying possession, they forced a Williams miss from the midrange. This time, Olivia Miles was able to chase down the board and hit the game deciding free throws for the Target Center faithful.
In a close game like this, you can’t afford to let opportunities fall out of your hands because you’ll get burned eventually.
“We’ve gotta finish possessions,” DeMarco said. “I think I talked about even before the game. We’ve gotta challenge without fouling, get a good contest and finish with a rebound.”
Marine Johannes expanded on this after the game:
The Lynx are the second best offensive rebounding team in the WNBA this season. It was a point of emphasis from the team in their preparation, but they couldn’t execute down the stretch. Games like these against contenders serve as valuable lessons for what they need to continue working on if they want to make it back to the Finals.
Final score: Minnesota Lynx 90, New York Liberty 85
At 13-10, the Liberty still have plenty to work on and get better at. In the second half, they went to a three big lineup with Jonquel Jones, Han Xu/Raquel Carrera, and Breanna Stewart at the three. It’s a unique look and something that helped the Liberty get back into the game. The group will need to get better at rebounding if they want to reach their full potential. The flashes we saw today should provide some encouragement and give DeMarco an idea as to what lineups will work best as we advance deeper into the season.
Along with that, one of their key players is on the road to recovery.
Sabally’s Road Back
The Liberty have been without Satou Sabally for the past few weeks as she is in concussion protocol. Prior to her injury, she had started playing her best basketball as a member of the Liberty and started getting comfortable in her role. She’s been out since she was accidentally struck in the face in Las Vegas, but she’s been with the team on the bench in recent games. It’s a positive sign and prior to the game, Liberty fans got even more encouraging news.
In pregame, DeMarco gave an update on Satou:
Next up
The Liberty head to Montreal! They’ll take on the Toronto Tempo at the Bell Centre tomorrow afternoon. Tip after 3 PM.
