Liberty beat Dream, move to first place in the WNBA standings

Back-to-backs are always tough. With the turnaround as short as it is, you don’t have much time to rest or prepare for the next opponent. You’ve got to be ready and make the best out of some tough circumstances. For the New York Liberty, staying ready is a way of life.

“I’m not tired,” Sabrina Ionescu said after Saturday’s win against the Los Angeles Sparks. With the Liberty down to just eight players, more has fallen on to the young guard’s shoulders as the team tries to hang on until reinforcements arrive. And on Sunday against the Atlanta Dream, she and the Liberty continued their recent run of amazing play.

The Jonquel Jones x Ionescu pairing has been the best in the WNBA as they have been able to punish mismatches and make things happen for the Liberty. Usually, it’s Ionescu finding Jones for great shot opportunities. However, they flipped the script this time around

Ionescu was able to continually get downhill to create opportunities for her teammates and use her size to finish over the returning Jordin Canada. Ionescu helped the Liberty to a 44-40 points in the paint advantage over a Dream squad that has been in a deep funk as of late. Ionescu’s success getting to and finishing at the rim has helped the Liberty be the best team on offense in the W in 2024.

But, she’s still the best 3-point shooter in the league and ended a blistering first half with this three from Bankhead

“She was on fire in that first half, particularly that second quarter,” Sandy Brondello said of her star guard. Sabrina also made this fun bit of history as well

Final score: New York Liberty 96, Atlanta Dream 75

At 15-3, the Liberty have the best record in the WNBA and have won 11 out of their last 12 games.

Everyone who played for the Liberty scored at least six points. In the starting five, the MVP tag team of Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart outplayed their Dream counterparts of Nia Coffey and Tina Charles. JJ had 15/10/4 on 6-10 shooting while Stewie stuffed the stat sheet with 17/8/6/3/2 in 29 minutes. Jones and Stewart have continued to lead in the frontcourt and have helped make up for the absence of Nyara Sabally coming off the bench. Their play has helped the seafoam jump out to the best start in franchise history. For as great as they were today, one of the newest members of the team stole the show and had Liberty fans even more excited for the future.

A Sunday showcase

Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images

It’s tough for rookies to adapt to the speed of the WNBA. The level of competition is leaps and bounds better than the NCAA, the games are less spread out than in college, and you have to adapt to a new role and fewer minutes with no real offseason to help you out. For Marquesha Davis, the rook has sat and learned from her teammates and coaching staff. She hasn’t gotten many minutes, but she made all of them count on Sunday.

“She’s a player that we know has a lot a lot of talent,” Brondello said in pregame. “She’s still young, it’s a big transition from college to the pros. Every day, you see her growing in confidence and growing in familiarity, feeling comfortable in the system.”

Today, Davis had the best game of her young career. She entered the game in the second quarter, and had nine points, an assist, a steal, and a block in that period as the Liberty raced out to a 24 point half time lead.

“Just getting in with coaches and working on my game outside of practice,” Davis said when asked about how she’s continued to stay prepared. Davis’ coach at Ole Miss, Yolett McCuin, was super impressed by Davis’ stellar play on the night

A day after the Liberty bench went scoreless, the trio of Davis, Ivana Dojkic, and Kennedy Burke combined for 21 points on the evening. As the Liberty continue to push towards the playoffs and hopefully a run to the championship, they’re going to need everyone ready and able to contribute when their number is called. The team has done just about everything right in 2024, and now they get to come home and attempt to create some special memories for the New York faithful.

Next up

Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images

It’s time to defend the Commissioner’s Cup! The Minnesota Lynx will be in New York to take on the seafoam Tuesday night at UBS Arena in Long Island. Fans looking to take a bus provided by the Liberty can sign up for it here. Tip at 8:00 p.m. ET.

• Box Score: New York Liberty 96, Atlanta Dream 75 - WNBA
• Game Highlights: New York Liberty 96, Atlanta Dream 75 (Video) - WNBA
• Liberty off to best start in franchise history, beat Dream 96-75 - AP