BROOKLYN, NY — The New York Liberty’s strong defensive start looked like it was setting up a good, competitive game against the Atlanta Dream on Sunday. However, that quickly went away as the Liberty crumbled and went down by as many as 19 points in the first half.
New York didn’t let up and tied the game with less than three minutes left in the third quarter and went into the final frame with a two-point lead. The Liberty showed their dominance in the final 10 minutes, taking complete control for the 79-72 victory.
“I wasn’t happy for the first half at all. We had four days off, and we didn’t bring any kind of grit or energy,” head coach Sandy Brondello said. “But we’re relentless. This is a group that stays together. We’re going to weather the storm.”
The Liberty have talked about their defense fueling their offense, and that’s what happened for the first three-and-a-half minutes of the game. Leonie Fiebich knocked down a triple to lead 9-4 with 6:36 left in the quarter, but that was the team’s last field goal of the frame.
New York stopped moving the ball around and settled for poor shots. Atlanta used that to its advantage and ran away with a 26-13 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Dream shot 56.3% from the field and 50% from deep, where the Liberty could only make 23.5% of its field goals and went just 1-of-6 of its deep attempts.
The Liberty rediscovered their energy and went on a 10-2 run to cut their deficit to 36-25 with 4:20 left in the second quarter. The run included five points from Isabelle Harrison and the team’s second three of the game from Fiebich.
The Liberty couldn’t cut into the lead more, but also didn’t let the Dream run away any further. Both teams scored six more points to end the quarter, and Atlanta went into halftime with a 42-31 lead.
Fiebich led the way for New York in the first half on 3-of-3 shooting from the field, with two coming from beyond the arc. She finished the night with a regular-season career-high 21 points, four rebounds, and four assists. Harrison provided a crucial spark off the bench in the first half and continued it into the second, recording nine points and six boards in the game.
“I love everything about Leo and what she brings to this team,” Brondello said. “She’s the ultimate professional.”
New York came out of halftime on a mission, immediately cutting its deficit to 43-38 after less than three minutes of play. Atlanta momentarily slashed the momentum with back-to-back triples, but the Liberty bounced back, embarking on an 11-point run. New York let its defensive energy fuel it once again and went into the fourth quarter with a 55-53 lead.
The Liberty switched up their lineup in the third quarter with Breanna Stewart playing the point guard position. Stewart scored six of her 18 points in the frame, and the Dream struggled to stop a forward playing the playmaker.
Kennedy Burke helped establish the Liberty’s groove right away in the final quarter with a steal and two assists. New York continued to make big plays that held its lead, but Atlanta’s Jordin Canada went on a personal 6-0 run to trail 70-66 with 3:24 left to play.
The Dream scored six more points, but it didn’t matter in the end as New York pulled away with the 79-72 win.
“Honestly, I just have fun on defense. I’m just annoying my opponent,” Fiebich said. “For me, if you go into a game with an offensive mindset, you never know if your shots gonna fall, you never know if you get the calls. And on defense, you really always know what you have to do. The aggression you play with, and the intensity, and that’s just something you can control. I just don’t want to rely on the uncontrollables on offense.”
