Sabrina Ionescu’s big night carries Liberty to win over Aces
Sabrina Ionescu blew by Jackie Young on a drive to the basket in the fourth quarter Tuesday, and Young, in a last-ditch effort, got caught reaching in.
Ionescu made the layup then celebrated the and-one by flexing her arms and yelling at the crowd.
The Liberty didn’t just want this win against the rival Aces, they needed it. And Ionescu did everything she could in her power to ensure her team captured it.
Ionescu’s torrid start to July continued Tuesday night. She led the Liberty to a hard-fought 87-78 win against the Aces, who played the second half without star A’ja Wilson, who suffered a wrist injury.
Ionescu was the conductor of the performance. She had precision passes, timely scoring and aggressive drives to the basket. She finished through contact, made nine free throws and encouraged her teammates.
Ionescu reached 20 points for the third consecutive game and ninth time this season — tallying 28 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
Four other Liberty players finished in double-figure scoring.
The Liberty held a team meeting before Tuesday’s game to discuss the team’s current rut. They had gone 3-6 over the past few weeks with players in and out of the lineup because of injuries and EuroBasket.
The Liberty knew their depth was going to be challenged Tuesday with Jonquel Jones (right ankle), Natasha Cloud (left hip) and Isabelle Harrison (right knee) all out.
“We talked about it today, how stuff like this happens throughout the season … and we were just that team where this stuff happens early on,” Kennedy Burke said. “At the end of the day, I know we’re gonna be OK. Because I’d rather this happen now than later on in the season when it’s really important.”
Coach Sandy Brondello has been critical of the Liberty’s effort at times this season. But the Liberty outhustled the Aces throughout the game Tuesday. Not only did they win the rebound battle, they also had arguably their best defensive showing since Jones aggravated her sprained ankle June 19.
The Liberty have talked for weeks about needing their defense to fuel their offense. There were sequences, especially in the third quarter, that showed how unstoppable the Liberty can be when they do just that. They had five steals — Burke accounted for four — in the third quarter, leading to nine points.
With their sixth straight head-to-head win against the Aces, the Liberty improved to 13-6 on the season, and the Aces fell to 9-10.
New York doesn’t play again until Sunday, when the defending champions host the Dream. It’ll be the Liberty’s second-to-last game before the All-Star break.