An opportunity for a win fell by the wayside for the New York Liberty despite a career-best in scoring from Leaonna Odom.
An opportunity for a confidence-boosting win fell by the wayside for the New York Liberty. The team allowed only 62 points, no more than 18 a quarter, to the Atlanta Dream, but a tough shooting night led to a 62-56 loss on Thursday night in the Bradenton bubble. Leaonna Odom and Kia Nurse each led the way with 12 points each for the Liberty (2-15).
Stuck at the bottom of the bubble standings, New York and Atlanta (5-13) combined to shoot just a combined 29 percent from the field. The Dream overcame their own poor shooting with a double-double performance from Courtney Williams (15 points, 13 rebounds). Monique Billings also had seven offensive rebounds that led to second-chance points for Atlanta.
The Liberty were slightly hindered in the interior by the loss of rookie and paint prescience Kylee Shook, who was forced to leave the game in the second quarter after landing awkwardly on a defensive stand. New York also shot 19-of-73 from the field, including 6-of-35 from three-point range.
The Liberty started the game on a 17-8 opening run, anchored by triples from Odom, Layshia Clarendon, Amanda Zahui B, and Paris Kea. They led 21-18 after the opening frame with the Dream anchored by several blocks from Elizabeth Williams. She wound up with six on the evening
New York’s shooting woes dominated from thereon. The Liberty held Atlanta to only 13 points in the second quarter but countered with only eight of their own. A strong defensive effort thus went for naught as they failed to convert on their open looks. It spoiled a career-best 12 points from the rookie Odom, a second-round choice that has been a startling lineup staple since the injury to top overall pick Sabrina Ionescu.
Elsewhere for the Liberty, Zahui B, Kea, and Kiah Stokes united for a combined 29 rebounds. Zahui B (11) earned double-digit rebounds for the fifth consecutive game while Kea set a new career-best (8).
The Liberty return to action on Friday night when they take on the Phoenix Mercury (8 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Go/CBSSN).
Kia Nurse and Jazmine Jones united for 33 points for the New York Liberty in a decent effort against the defending WNBA finalists.
Growth was once again on display for the New York Liberty on Tuesday night, even if the scoreboard wasn’t willing to cooperate.
The Liberty bench tallied 49 points to help keep things respectable, led by a combined 33 from the Kia Nurse/Jazmine Jones tandem. But it wasn’t enough to counter a double-double showing from DeWanna Bonner, who tallied 27 points and 12 rebounds in a 70-65 victory for the Connecticut Sun.
New York (2-14) kept pace with a Connecticut squad in the midst of a playoff push. Head coach Walt Hopkins was pleased with the ensuing effort after his team trailed 18-8 after the first quarter. The Liberty wound up winning the second quarter 24-11 to build a 32-29 halftime lead.
“That second unit tends to do a pretty good job of picking up the energy,” Hopkins said of his bench. “That balance of having one or the other, having a group of players that picks us up, it’s what’s been keeping us in games throughout the year. It’s having the whole group show up consistently that’s been really hard.”
“The story of the game was really how well that second unit played, particularly in the second quarter to bring us back from an 18-8 first quarter. We ended up winning that second quarter 24-11, which is pretty remarkable for a young group. It was great to see.”
Nurse led all New York scorers in the effort with 18 points. Tuesday’s game saw her come off the bench for the first time since August 4, 2018, with Paris Kea taking her usual spot in the starting five. She shot 4-of-11 from the field but got to the foul line 12 times, sinking all but two of her attempts.
“We continued to play hard like we always do. We gave ourselves a chance to win this game,” Nurse remarked of the effort. “We cut it down a bit and traded baskets in the fourth. I think that confidence will help to move us forward in terms of growth as well.”
Assisting Nurse was the rookie Jones, who put in 15 points. Her fellow 2020 draft pick and Louisville alumna Kylee Shook had a perfect day from the field, sinking all four of her attempts from the field and also grabbing four rebounds. Amanda Zahui B followed up a 21-rebound showing on Saturday after against Las Vegas with 10 more against the Sun.
“(Shook) has been working really hard on being more physical,” Hopkins said. “It takes some time when you’re a longer player. You have to learn how to be physical, embrace physicality to create contact. She was so much better in that regard. There’s still room (for improvement), but Kylee really responded and gave us some great minutes.”
Alas for the Liberty, they were unable to sink a win from the defending WNBA finalists. The Sun (8-9) kept the Liberty in check during a strong fourth quarter, which saw them lead by as much as ten. Connecticut, stationed in seventh, is currently three games up on ninth-place Indiana, the first team out of the playoff proceedings. Their effort was helped by a sweep of the Liberty in the Bradenton bubble.
The Liberty return to action on Thursday night against the Atlanta Dream (6:30 p.m. ET, YES/CBSSN). Atlanta previously took an 84-78 decision on July 31.
Another bad quarter sank the New York Liberty on Saturday afternoon despite Amanda Zahui B making WNBA history.
WNBA history wasn’t enough to withstand another tough fourth quarter for the New York Liberty.
Amanda Zahui B had a WNBA record 21 defensive rebounds but a 24-7 deficit in the fourth quarter doomed them to an 80-63 loss to the Las Vegas Aces on Saturday afternoon in the Bradenton bubble. A’ja Wilson led the way with 20 points for Las Vegas while Dearica Hamby had a double-double (17 points, 10 rebounds) off the bench. Each team returned to action after the WNBA joined the wave of athlete strikes across North America in protest of racial injustice.
The fourth quarter marred what was otherwise a strong, respectable day for the Liberty (2-13), who had won the third quarter by a 21-17 margin. Zahui B’s 21 rebounds made up for a tough shooting day from the field (2-of-11) and broke a Liberty record previously held by Tina Charles since July 2017. Her league record shattered a mark set by Detroit’s Cindy Brown during the 1998 season…the Association’s second year of existence.
“I think she’s at a point where she’s comfortable understanding where if her shots aren’t falling she can do other things for this team,” head coach Walt Hopkins said of Zahui B’s performance. “I thought her one-on-one defense was pretty darn good. Her rebounds were huge, obviously.”
Zahui B declined to comment on basketball matters, expressing only sadness at continued instances of racial injustice. She has been a vocal leader in activism in both American and her native Sweden.
Personal history was also set on the Liberty through Paris Kea. The mid-season acquisition scored a career-high 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting (including 4-of-6 from three-point range). Elsewhere, Kiah Stokes fell just short of a triple-double (12 points, 9 rebounds) and Layshia Clarendon scored 11 more in defeat. Clarendon has been a vocal voice in the WNBA’s social justice initiatives and recited Maya Angelou’s poem “Still I Rise” during a candlelit vigil held during the postponements caused by the strike.
With their win, Las Vegas (12-3) moves into a first-place tie with Seattle. The Aces also clinched their second consecutive playoff spot, becoming the first team officially enter the postseason bracket as the WNBA regular season enters its latter stages.
The Liberty return to action on Tuesday as they play their second game of the season against the Connecticut Sun (7 p.m., Fox Sports Go/CBSSN).
The New York Liberty have released a statement in support of social justice in the midst of Thursday’s postponements in the WNBA.
The New York Liberty have released a statement in the wake of ongoing demonstrations against racial injustice across the professional sports leagues of the United States.
The statement opens with the names of African-American victims of systemic racism and how long it has has been since the respective crimes. Perpetrators of the crimes in question, particularly have yet to face legal repercussions.
“While we will not take the court today, we will continue to stay loud in our pursuit of justice. The New York Liberty organization stand in solidarity with our players and demand justice for #JacobBlake, #GeorgeFloyd, #BreonnaTaylor, #AhmaudArbery, and the many human lives affected by brutal police encounters. We will not be silenced. All lives can’t matter until Black lives matter.”
New York was originally set to play on Thursday night against the Dallas Wings, but the WNBA has confirmed that no games will be held. Three games were scheduled for Thursday in the league’s Bradenton bubble, including one between the Chicago and Indiana and a late-night tilt featuring Las Vegas and Seattle. All postponed games, including three others from Wednesday, will be rescheduled.
Thursday was set to be the Liberty’s annual “UNITY Day” game, with a special focus on social justice. The team hosted a panel on Wednesday late afternoon, featuring guard Layshia Clarendon. New York was among the country’s first professional sports teams to publicly advocate for social justice, wearing warm-up shirts reading “#BlackLivesMatter” prior to a 2016 game.
Each of the WNBA’s dozen teams has worn uniforms bearing the name of Breonna Taylor, who was fatally shot by Louisville police officers executing a no-knock search warrant. The officers in question have not been arrested.
“As the injustices persist, so does the work,” the statement says. “Today marks what should have been the Liberty’s 4th annual UNITY Day game which is devoted to telling Breonna Taylor’s story and highlighting the #SayHerName campaign. In light of today’s protest, our UNITY Day will be rescheduled at a later date.”
Clarendon was among WNBA representatives who spoke with ESPN’s Holly Rowe about the decision not to play. Each of the players present wore shirts calling for the arrest of Taylor’s killers. The team has united with the #SayHerName campaign for thier 2020 bubble proceedings to spread awareness and information of racial injustice and to encourage voting in national and local elections.
“It is important to note that this is not a strike, this is not a boycott. This is affirmatively a day of reflection, a day of informed action and mobilization,” Los Angeles Sparks forward and WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike said. “Today, we call upon Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron to arrest the officers that killed Breonna Taylor. Today, we call upon Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul to investiage the officers that were involved in the shooting of Jacob Blake.”
Those stationed at the Bradenton bubble also hosted a players-only meeting and candlelit vigil.
Members of the Liberty have continued to speak out against racial injustice throughout the year. The incident involving Blake in Kenosha, Minnesota has been no exception.
.@KayNurse11: "Black Lives Matter, the fight against racism, standing up for change, calling for justice — that always has been and always will be bigger than basketball." pic.twitter.com/koD8qbukNa
Layshia Clarendon sank a pair of free throws with less than a second remaining to give the New York Liberty a shocking win over Chicago.
The New York Liberty perhaps displayed their utmost potential on Tuesday night. It was thus appropriate, perhaps, that they played…and defeated…a team named the Sky.
Layshia Clarendon capped off a dominant fourth quarter by sinking victorious free throws with less than a second to go. Those fateful freebies, the last of her 17 points on the evening, were the winning margin in a 101-99 victory over the Chicago Sky in the Bradenton bubble. Amanda Zahui B led the way with a double-double to the tune of 22 points and 12 rebounds.
“I’m so damn proud of them,” head coach Walt Hopkins said afterward. “More of the things clicked than they have been. It’s just going to take us playing really good games. Chicago is really good. We could’ve lost that game on multiple occasions down the stretch. We kept punching, we stayed in it. We’ve got a tough, tough group of players.”
“This team is tough. After the game, it was almost like a relief,” Zahui B said. “We worked so hard. It’s a new group. We’re young and we haven’t folded yet. Any other team would’ve folded a long time ago. That just shows how tough we really are. I’m so proud of them. Every single one of them.”
To end a seven-game losing streak, the Liberty (2-12) faced a steep challenge from a Chicago squad that owned the best record among Eastern Conference squads. Conference placement matters little in the WNBA standings, but the Sky (10-5) were nonetheless battling for one of the WNBA’s top playoff seeds and had won four in a row entering. Chicago previously took a 101-85 decision on Thursday night.
Early on, the game lived up to its expected billing. The Sky led 29-22 after the first quarter and built their lead to as high as 16 just past the midway mark.
Calling timeout after Chicago led 40-25 with circa three minutes gone by in the second, Hopkins recalled that the Liberty kept things close after the first quarter on Thursday, but the Sky managed to have 57 points by halftime, which spoiled any hope the Liberty had for a surprise win. In the latter game, though, the Liberty came prepared.
For the rest of the frame, the Liberty outscored the Sky by a 21-9 tally to narrow the halftime gap to 49-46. The comeback was stoked by Zahui B’s scoring, as her outside tallies helped the Liberty take the lead in the third quarter. New York was 11-for-48 over their last two games from three-point range (including 3-of-19 on Thursday) but sank 14-of-30 in their win. Five players reached double-figures, as Kiah Stokes and Jocelyn Willoughby had 14 each, while recent signee Paris Kea tied her career-best with 10 off the bench. Louisville sisters Jazmine Jones and Kylee Shook fell just short of joining them with a combined 17 points between. Shook ended the first and third quarters with mid-range buzzer-beaters.
“We talked about how they had 57 points in that first half and that it couldn’t happen again,” Hopkins said. “It’s easy to forget we were down 15 in the first half. I hope that we talk about the toughness of all these players because it’s just so hard as a 2-12 team to bring it every single night, every day in practice, every day in shootaround.”
It was a night of redemption for Willoughby, the tenth overall pick of April’s draft who was acquired in a draft day trade with Phoenix. After playing a combined 11 minutes over the past two games, the Virginia alumna played 17 on Tuesday and sank all five attempts from the field. Her 14 points tied an infantile career-best.
“That baby is tough. Jocelyn is so tough,” Zahui B said. “She wanted it so bad. She’s been locked in. She had a couple of games where she had more minutes and then she was taken off of the starting lineup and her minutes dropped. But she has never stopped working. She is probably one of the loudest people in practice. She always asks questions and she always wants to get better.”
The sharp-shooting Sky stuck around until the very end, anchored by the feared duo of Courtney Vandersloot and Allie Quigley (the latter of whom led all scorers with 29 points). Stefanie Dolson sank a triple to tie the game at 99 with 20 seconds left, but the Liberty opted to keep things rolling. Jones withstood a Chicago press and got the ball to Zahui B on the other end. Zahui B got the ball to a cutting Clarendon, who was fouled by Dolson with 0.3 seconds remaining. She sank the ensuing pair, the last of eight points that helped preserve the Liberty lead. New York never trailed after a pair of triples from Zahui B and Kea late in the third quarter.
The Liberty will look to start a winning streak on Thursday night, as they prepare to take on the Dallas Wings (8 p.m. ET, YES/CBSSN).
Kia Nurse’s team-best 17 wasn’t enough to overcome a tough third-quarter, as the New York Liberty fell to Connecticut.
One brutal period and countless turnovers once again came back to bite the New York Liberty in the Bradenton bubble.
The Liberty lost the ball 18 times on Saturday night, which led to 33 points for the Connecticut Sun. Those missed chances and a ten-point defeat in the third quarter led to an 82-65 victory for the Sun, dooming the Liberty to their fourth straight double-digit loss. Alyssa Thomas had 25 points on 10-of-14 shooting, while DeWanna Bonner had a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
“It’s really (about) continuing to find consistency, individually and collectively. That’s going to continue to be about us continuing to be hyper-focused on each individual, where we can get each player the ball where they’re most comfortable,” head coach Walt Hopkins said of the Liberty’s focus over their final nine games. “We really need to shore some things up defensively but it was really the turnovers again. Part of that comes from…people being in positions, being indecisive, and not playing with confidence. I think that’s probably the biggest thing contributing to those turnovers.”
After reaching 85 points on Thursday night against Chicago, the Liberty (1-12) struggled offensively, shooting 37 percent from the field. They were able to keep pace with physicality and stronger defense, as well as continued diversity in their scoring. Four New Yorkers had at least 10 points, one short of the output on Thursday. Kia Nurse paced the team with 17, while rookie Jazmine Jones had 11 more to reach double-figures for the sixth straight game.
But a tough third quarter, which saw the Liberty get outscored 21-11, proved to be their downfall as the team struggled to once again play a full 40 minutes. The team continued to celebrate the little victories, such as Jones’ streak and increased minutes, and Kiah Stokes’ rediscovered propensity to shoot from the outside (sinking two of six attempts and reaching double figures for the second straight game).
There’s no denying, however, that the endless stream of losses can take its toll on a squad, especially with little opportunities to right their wrongs thanks to the bubble’s congested schedule.
“We have so many young people. You can’t stop practice enough, you can’t stop the game enough, because we have to keep playing,” veteran guard Layshia Clarendon, she of 12 points, said. “I think that’s one of the hardest parts for me. I just want to stop, teach, and tell people things, but we don’t have that luxury. We’re practicing on TV every night through our games. You see the different point differentials in some of these losses.”
“Essentially, if you really look at what confidence is, you always have it. It’s just the fact that doubt, or concern…comes into your mind and clouds that,” Nurse added. “The confidence is there, it’s just behind some doubt. You just got to move it out of the way a little bit. You’ve got to be able to let it go. A lot of times, it can’t come from wins and losses. It has to come from the ability to know in yourself, and in your mind and heart that you put that work in.”
Defending WNBA finalists, Connecticut (6-8) has righted their ship, winning five of their last seven after a 1-6 start. The two teams will meet again on September 1.
The Liberty return to action on Tuesday night, facing a rematch with the aforementioned Chicago Sky (7 p.m., Fox Sports Go/CBSSN).
The New York Liberty provided an update on the status of Sabrina Ionescu on Saturday. The top overall pick responded in style.
No matter when Sabrina Ionescu is ready to return, it appears that the New York Liberty’s top overall pick will be ready to go.
The Liberty released an update on their injured rookie attraction on Saturday, declaring that she will not need surgery to repair a sprained ankle sustained in the Liberty’s July 31 tilt against Atlanta. Ionescu has been rehabbing in New York while her teammates continue to work their way through the WNBA’s 2020 proceedings in the Bradenton bubble.
“(She) has been evaluated and physicians have determined that no surgery is needed,” a statement from the Liberty reads. “She has received a positive prognosis for a full recovery and is continuing to rehab.”
Ionescu took to her Instagram story to respond to the news.
Prior to her injury, Ionescu averaged 18.3 points (on 45 percent shooting) and 4.7 rebounds. The University of Oregon alumna earned a fair amount of hype leading to her selection in the WNBA Draft in April. She is by far the NCAA’s all-time leader in triple-doubles (26) and has also taken home countless hardwood accolades, including the Associated Press’ most recent Player of the Year honor. Ionescu came close to her first professional triple-double in her second game as New York, earning 33 points and seven assists and rebounds each on July 29 against Dallas.
Ionescu, 22, has since been rehabbing in both New York and California. Other recent Instagram highlights included dinner in Marina Del Rey with her close friend and fellow Walnut Creek, California native Bree Alford and a movie night with the wife and children of the late Kobe Bryant. Ionescu shared a strong relationship with Bryant and his teenage daughter Gianna prior to their deaths in a helicopter crash in January and continues to socialize with Bryant’s widow Vanessa and his surviving children Bianka, Natalia, and Capri.
Ionescu’s teammates have been in constant contact with her and head coach Walt Hopkins has discussed the team’s ongoing bubble endeavors over the phone and video calls.
“Different people have reached out,” fellow rookie Jocelyn Willoughby said. “We know she’s watching and supporting us. She told us to hang in there and keep fighting.”
“I’m super happy for Sabrina,” veteran forward/center Kiah Stokes added. “I talk to her often. Her morale is high…she’s excited to restart rehab and get back. She’s a workhorse, so she’s going to be ready for next season”
The remaining Liberty representatives return to action on Saturday night in Bradenton as they take on the Connecticut Sun (7 p.m. ET, YES/CBSSN).
The New York Liberty’s competitive loss to Chicago saw a silver lining of five different New Yorkers score at least 10 points.
The New York Liberty forced the Chicago Sky into some low-percentage shots on Thursday night in the Bradenton bubble. But such a term may well not exist in the Sky’s glossary.
Chicago sank 11 of their first 19 three-point attempts on the evening, keeping a resilient Liberty effort at bay in what became a 101-83 victory. Azura Stevens led the way with 25 points while Allie Quigley and Courtney Vandersloot had 19 each (the latter also earned a double-double with 10 assists).
Despite the loss, members of the Liberty (1-11) seemed comfortable with the effort against one of the WNBA’s elite.
“I’m really proud of the team,” head coach Walt Hopkins said of the effort in a postgame Zoom call. “Chicago’s a heck of a team. They shot the heck out of the ball tonight and made us pay for some lapses in our defense. But what’s been missing is our group believing in themselves, I think. They found that again tonight. Their energy was fantastic. Even when they were making mistakes, their energy was there.”
“Today, we bounced back. We definitely found our identity again,” Jazmine Jones added. “We played hard the whole game. We kept fighting. Chicago, they had a great shooting night. Almost everything they shot went in. But I feel like we played good, we played hard. It’s just about taking that next step, and consistency too. It’s all about being better in practice tomorrow and the next game on Saturday.”
Prior to Thursday’s game, Hopkins was hoping to recapture the spark the Liberty displayed at the start of the month. They earned their lone win of the season to date against defending champion Washington in the span, but the past two games were a struggle. New York had tallied only 64 points in each of their past two games.
But with the exception of a 34-23 deficit in the second quarter, the Liberty only trailed the Sky (9-4) by five after the three remainders. Five players reached double figures for New York, paced by Jones’ 18. It’s the fifth straight game that the 12th overall pick of April’s draft has tallied at least 10 points. Jones has averaged 15.2 points per game in that span.
Behind Jones, Kiah Stokes had a season-high 14 and fell one rebound short of a double-double. Kia Nurse had 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Layshia Clarendon (12 points) and Amanda Zahui B (11) rounded out the list. Nurse would go on to call it the Liberty’s best offensive performance of the season.
“I think we took good shots, we created good shots for other people,” Nurse said. “We moved the ball really well and our offense looks probably the best that is has all season.”
“That’s huge for us moving forward, just knowing and seeing this as a baseline for us, essentially, in knowing what people can do. People played to their strengths today. Jaz is great in the mid-range pick and roll, and that’s what she did for us today, she got to the line. Stokes was great in the post and running in transition. I think that continued throughout the game, that everybody got a little confidence, so hopefully, that continues and that we grow together and build.”
The Liberty won’t have long to wait for another chance at the Sky, as the squads are due for a rematch on Tuesday night. It’s possible Chicago could be without All-Star Diamond DeShields for the second get-together. The third overall pick of the 2018 draft left the game in the first half after landing awkwardly after a shot attempt. DeShields was helped off the court and did not return to the game.
In the meantime, the Liberty will take on the Connecticut Sun on Saturday (7 p.m. ET, CBSSN/Fox Sports Go) for the first of two meetings.
The young, undermanned New York Liberty were no match for the Seattle Storm, who won their ninth in a row.
The best news for the New York Liberty that emerged from Tuesday’s late show with the Seattle Storm? There are no more meetings with the Seattle Storm left on the 2020 schedule.
Seattle, leaders of the WNBA’s bubble proceedings, dominated Tuesday night’s showdown, crushing the Liberty by an 105-64 final as New York reached the midway point of their 22-game season.
“The main takeaway from tonight was that we really didn’t make the simple play,” head coach Walt Hopkins said afterward. “We didn’t drive and kick. We over-penetrated and their pressure, with the sucking in really bothered us. It’s a heck of a team, but we did not execute nearly like we needed to.”
The Liberty (1-10) were able to keep relative pace with the Storm in the first quarter. They fell behind 13-1 to start off, but were eventually able to balance things out to a 27-16 lead after the first ten minutes. But a dominant second quarter, in the form of a 34-12 onslaught, put the game out of hand in a hurry. Jewell Loyd was the leader behind Seattle’s 61-28 halftime lead, pacing all shooters with 14 points in the first half. 2018 WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart had 10 in support.
The Storm (11-1) had six players reach double figures overall, paced by former New Yorker Epiphanny Prince, who had 16 points in 16 minutes off the bench. Fellow reserve Sami Whitcomb was also on that list with 14.
New York actually wound up winning the final quarter by a 22-21 margin. The evening’s brightest silver lining may well have been the performance of Kia Nurse.
Nurse, a 2019 All-Star, opened the game with a triple in the first half, but a cutthroat Seattle defense denied her opportunities to get into a rhythm. Stepping into an otherwise all-rookie lineup, Nurse tallied 12 points over the final four minutes of the game, giving her a game-best 21 on the night. Her 6-of-12 performance from the field was by far her best outing of the season. She had spoken earlier in the day of attempting to defeat her early-season struggles through meditation. The treatment appeared to pay off in the final stages.
Hopkins later revealed that Nurse asked to be reinserted to the game despite its one-sided nature.
“At that point, it was just that you could go down fighting or you could go down not fighting. I knew that I had a lot of energy and that I could play as hard as I could,” Nurse said of her decision. “I know it’s tough, especially as a rookie, to be on the court at that time and try to find something, something that works. I told (assistant coach Dustin Gray) that I wanted to go back in, I wanted to help (the rookies) out. I think, for me, it was just about being able to continue to impact the game. Tonight, it was trying to play as hard as possible.”
“The one thing I love about this team from the beginning is how hard we fight, and that’s to the last buzzer.”
Elsewhere for the Liberty, Jazmine Jones scored 10 points, reaching double-figures for the fourth straight game. Paris Kea also made her New York debut, scoring four points in the fourth quarter.
New York returns to action on Tuesday night, taking on the Chicago Sky (7 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Go/CBSSN).
The Minnesota Lynx dealt a sweep to former assistant coach Walt Hopkins’ New York Liberty through a one-sided second half.
It was deja vu all over again in the worst way for the New York Liberty on Saturday night in the Bradenton bubble. A rematch with the Minnesota Lynx yielded more brutality in the second half, as the Liberty were outscored 52-31 over the final 20 minutes in a 94-64 loss. Minnesota was the former dwelling of Liberty head coach Walt Hopkins.
New York (1-9) was previously outscored 27-6 in the third quarter of a 92-66 loss to the Lynx on August 5. This time around, reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year Napheesa Collier led the way with 26 points and 13 rebounds, while current contender Crystal Dangerfield earned 22 on 9-of-12 shooting. Five Minnesotans in total earned double-figures.
The Liberty got off to a decent start in the first quarter. Leaonna Odom earning eight points in the first quarter, and New York built a small 10-9 lead by the midway mark. Minnesota, however, embarked on a 16-10 run to end the frame and had relative control from that point on. A manageable nine-point deficit at halftime quickly flew out of hand when the Lynx (7-3) sank six of their first seven field goals to open the latter half. Minnesota shot just over 50 percent on the evening (36-of-71) and converted 6-of-13 three-point attempts. In contrast, the Liberty shot only 30 percent (20-of-66) from the field.
The New York silver linings came in the form of rookie Jazmine Jones and Kylee Shook. Formerly teammates at Louisville, Jones was the only New Yorker in double figures with 13 points while Shook tied her infantile career-best in scoring with nine. Jones reached double-figures for the third straight game through physical play that went on until the final second had ticked off the clock. The final pick of the first round is averaging 16 points over the trio, which began with a career-high 24 points against Los Angeles on Tuesday.
“Toward the end of the game, we knew we needed to play hard, finish the game, continue to fight,” Jones said. “We just got to get better together in practice, translate it over to the game. Youth has nothing to do with it. We just need to come out, execute, do the things we need to do to win.”
The Liberty will hit the midway point of their bubble exploits on Tuesday night when they take on the Seattle Storm (10 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Go). It will be the second of two meetings with the Storm, who opened the bubble project with the Liberty on July 25. Seattle took home an 87-71 decision. Layshia Clarendon had 20 points in the game to lead the Liberty while Sabrina Ionescu had 12 points and six rebounds in her debut. Seattle currently tops the WNBA standings with a 9-1 record.
“We need to be tougher. We need to start our games with some heart,” Hopkins said of the upcoming second half. “I say that would be a really good start for us. I think we lost four quarters tonight.”
