The New York Liberty have been relying on Sabrina Ionescu in recent games. She has scored at least 23 points in five of the last six games. The Dallas Wings held her to just nine points on Tuesday, her first outing since July 13, but it didn’t matter.
Dallas’ game plan of trapping Ionescu on screens and attempting to tire her out on defense fell through as the other New York players stepped up. Five Liberty players scored at least 12 points, and everyone recorded at least one bucket, pushing them to the 85-76 win.
“We had five other players and double figures, and I think that’s the beauty of this team,” said head coach Sandy Brondello. “When we move the ball, we always find great shots.”
Leonie Fiebich was tasked with guarding Paige Bueckers for most of the first half. Fiebich locked in on stopping the Number One pick in the Draft, and Bueckers’ first shot attempt didn’t come until the 5:48 mark of the first quarter. Bueckers used a screen and hit a jumper over Ionescu once she switched.
Bueckers was hesitant to shoot over Fiebich, who isfour inchess taller than the rookie, so she tried to take advantage when Fiebich was on the bench taking a breather. Bueckers scored a game-high 20 points the last time the teams met, but was held to just seven points in the first half.
No Dallas player made more than one basket until Arike Ogunbowale sank a triple with 55 seconds left in the first quarter to cut the deficit to 19-15. The Liberty were playing strong on both sides of the court and put the score at 24-15 at the end of the frame.
New York’s fans didn’t need any convincing to welcome Emma Meesseman, and that was evident by the cheers after she opened the second quarter scoring with a jump shot. Meesseman was crucial in the Liberty’s win over the Connecticut Sun just two days prior and had the same impact tonight, with 13 points, three rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and a steal.
Jonquel Jones pushed her squad’s advantage to 29-17 with a three-pointer less than a minute into the second quarter, but the Liberty struggled offensively from there. They couldn’t get another bucket for nearly four minutes, but they didn’t allow their defense to slip too much. Dallas scored eight straight points, with five coming from Maddy Siegrist, until Jones knocked down another triple.
New York couldn’t build on the offense once again, and nine consecutive Dallas points leveled the score at 34 with 1:51 left before halftime. However, Stephanie Talbot, who is now looking completely comfortable with her new Liberty team, responded with a three.
“We moved the ball while they were trapping Sabrina, and I was able to get some open shots and knock them down,” Talbot said.
The Liberty had a two-point advantage at halftime, but Ogunbowale’s three-pointer gave the Wings the 41-39 lead at the 7:39 mark of the third quarter. Jones and Natasha Cloud combat that with their team’s first 12 points of the frame to snatch back the lead. They didn’t trail again after that and went into the final quarter with the 60-53 lead.
Two Liberty players seemed to be hot at any given time, and the fourth quarter was Talbot and Ionescu’s turn. The duo scored their team’s first 14 points, with eight from the new addition.
New York couldn’t keep Bueckers quiet for the entire game, and the rookie found more scoring opportunities in the second half. She finished the night with a game-high 21 points and added eight rebounds and four assists.
The Wings trailed by just eight points with 2:11 left, but couldn’t get it closer as Fiebich scored to keep the 10-point lead. Dallas didn’t stop playing until the final buzzer, but dropped the game 85-76.
“They had two defenders on the ball when I was in a pick and roll, so we knew somebody was open,” Ionescu said. “We were just continuing to drive and kick, attack downhill, and find open shooters. When we have advantages like that on the offensive end, we got to capitalize on them, and we did tonight.”
