New York Liberty survive Connecticut Sun in another sweat-factory win, 71-68

Every New York Liberty-Connecticut Sun contest is the same.

It doesn’t matter if the Liberty come out firing, as they did bright and early on Wednesday morning. Yes, morning; tip-off time was 11:00 a.m. ET for Connecticut’s Camp Day Contest, as a packed crowd on both sides of the aging spectrum packed Mohegan Sun Arena.

Though the Liberty won the first matchup in Connecticut earlier this season, both teams entered at a WNBA-best 17-4 after New York’s loss to Indiana on Saturday, a true first-place matchup.

So when Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart each reached double-digits in a 29-point first quarter, it was impressive, to be sure. Stewie didn’t hit the rim on any of her four shot attempts, while Ionescu stared down Connecticut’s huge front-line without blinking. She scored her ten first-quarter points on a pair of freebies and four shots inside the paint...

On a day when the Liberty’s vaunted 3-point shooting lagged behind for the second game in a row, they lived in the paint. But it wasn’t Jonquel Jones doing a ton of damage posting up and rolling to the basket, rather it was their guards and wings penetrating and finishing. The Sun are one of the few teams the Liberty don’t boast a big size advantage over, but they boasted a quickness advantage on Wednesday.

That included Kennedy Burke and Leonie Fiebich, thrust into the starting lineup as Betnijah Laney-Hamilton sat with a knee injury, as well as Courtney Vandersloot, who scored 11 points with her typical array of trickery to get downhill...

But impressive as it was, it couldn’t put the game away so early. New York shot 3-of-13 from deep for the game, incredibly disorienting after watching them get up 42 treys in their last outing, but you might attribute the lack of volume and efficiency to a higher power. Something had to give, there are nothing but nail-biters in this matchup.

And so, New York lost the flow in the second quarter. A bench-heavy lineup had some nice moments, namely Burke, but dimmed most of their flashes with illegal screens and missed jumpers. It looked as though their cushion would survive as the starters piled back out onto the floor, but they continued the trend as the Sun closed the half on a 10-0 run to make it 39-38 at half-time. Of course.

It was DiJonai Carrington and Brionna Jones carrying the offense for the home team; Alyssa Thomas would only score three points on 1-of-4 shooting, as the Liberty found ways to use Connecticut’s double-big lineup against, helping heavily in the paint without getting beat up on the glass.

Stewart credited her team’s defense on Thomas to “understanding her spots, where she wants to get to. And with helping, it’s knowing my teammates are having my back.”

The second-half was a mirror image, though New York’s inevitable offensive struggles were more about missing open looks than sloppy play. Fiebich and Burke missed a couple wide open layups, nobody wearing sea foam (and black) could grab an offensive rebound, and another double-digit lead fell to a single point with five minutes to go in the game.

Try as they might, the two East Coast powers seem incapable of drawing anything other than blood.

DeWanna Bonner played every minute(!) and scored 22 points to lead Connecticut, though it wasn’t an easy 6-of-16 from the floor with 7-of-7 from the line. Leonie Fiebich, among others, stepped in for New York’s best perimeter defender and did her damndest, one of the only players in the W that you can look at and earnestly say, “huh, she’s sort of built like DeWanna Bonner.”

Said Brondello of her performance, “I know Leo missed some shots, easy ones she usually makes but I love that she just got there. She had some really good assists, she played great defense on their best player, just really active.”

Which made it so frustrating when a botched switch between her and Ioenscu allowed Bonner way too much space for a late go-ahead three that gave Connecticut their first lead since the game’s opening minutes...

But it would be their last.

In their last win, a home victory over a great Minnesota Lynx team, the Liberty sealed it with their defense, not allowing a bucket for a seven-minute stretch in the fourth. And while Wednesday’s clutch D wasn’t quite as dominant, it certainly was reminiscent.

The Liberty blocked four shots in the final two minutes, including three from Breanna Stewart. She finished with “just” 18 points after her hot start, a number that looks a whole lot better when leading off an 18/14/2/1/3 line, another reminder that the scoring can temporarily dip, but her impact won’t...

Stewie detailed the last of those crucial blocks, a stop in help on Bonner, who could’ve expected Stewie to come flying over, but perhaps didn’t have the bandwidth to after fighting by Fiebich.

“She’s the one who’s going to shoot the ball at the end, and making sure that cat-and-mouse, and once I see her going into her shot, just following it,” said Stewart.

The Liberty didn’t need quite as much offense as usual to close it out, but they still needed a couple buckets. They got one on a rare post-up for Jones, who scored just eight points on eight shots vs. her former team, a couple free-throws from Stewart, but fittingly, the dagger came on a Ionescu drive, a play that’s brought her game to another level this season.

She drove left on Bonner and rather than trying to extend past her, gave her a mean right shoulder, fading slightly to the left to throw up a same-foot floater that would’ve been too awkward for many others. Ionescu still isn't the most explosive driver, but she’s leaned on physicality and touch from floater range this season, and her biggest bucket on Wednesday showed us why it’s such an effective combo.

The Olympian cited her off-season work, post-game: “I mean, just getting stronger, faster has helped, but understanding that I could use my strength and also my height to be able to get down into the paint, use my body and elevate over defenders.”

The game wasn’t quite won yet, but it was when Ionescu used some of those attributes to lock it up on defense, with a game-winning block on a Tyasha Harris three that sent the Sun home with an L again, fists clenched at how close they’d come...

The New York Liberty are now 9-1 against the Sun since the start of last season, which feels wrong. Games go down to the wire, one of Connecticut’s guards hits enough shots to keep up — on Wednesday it was Carrington — Bonner does her thing, all with the interior size to match up to the Libs. Hell, even Alyssa Thomas finished with nine boards and eight assists despite her lack of scoring.

And yet, the Liberty continue to pull these games out. Down a starter? Doesn’t matter. Jonquel Jones quieter than usual in this matchup? That’s okay, if they need a game-winning block from Ionescu or Vandersloot’s first double-digit performance since returning, they’ll get it. Even if they need it at 11 in the morning. Sorry, Sabrina.

“Hopefully there won’t be many more 11 AM games. It’s a little early.”

Final Score: New York Liberty 71, Connecticut Sun 68

Milestone Watch

One of New York’s three triples on Wednesday was more than just three points. Ionescu’s only long-ball of the game elevated her into second-place all-time in Liberty history in the category, passing Becky Hammon with 332 career makes from deep.

Elsewhere, Jones reach a well-rounded milestone that, if a bit esoteric, still serves to highlight versatility that can only be matched by her partner in the front-court...

Next Up

Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images

The second half of a back-to-back...for both teams! The Chicago Sky, who also tipped off early on Wednesday, will fly to New York and take on the Liberty at the Barclays Center in the first part of a home-and-home series. (Don’t worry, they get some rest in between.)

Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET on Thursday evening.

• Box Score: New York Liberty 71, Connecticut Sun 68 - WNBA
• Game Highlights: New York Liberty 71, Connecticut Sun 68 (Video) - WNBA