Liberty secures WNBA playoff spot with assistance despite defeat to Valkyries

Liberty Clinches Playoff Spot

In an exciting turn of events, Liberty officially secured a playoff spot on Tuesday night.

This is certainly worth a round of applause.

New York has something to be thankful for, as the Mercury edged out a close game, finishing 85-79. This victory allowed them to claim their postseason berth, complementing an earlier missed opportunity against Phoenix.

Although Liberty now has a chance to defend its 2024 WNBA title, the atmosphere feels rather muted after a 66-58 loss to the Valkyries.

Coach Sandy Brondello emphasized that the focus isn’t on the playoff standings, but rather on improving their performance. She stated, “It’s really about us playing consistently for 40 minutes. We haven’t done that this season. I need to do better, and so do the players. We have to build confidence and trust in each other.”

Tuesday’s match didn’t exactly inspire confidence either, as the team has been struggling for the past ten weeks.

Even with Sabrina Ionescu sidelined due to a thumb injury, Liberty is still a stronger team on paper compared to the Valkyries, boasting stars like Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones.

Yet, Golden State has shown resilience despite various challenges this season.

Stewart and Natasha Cloud each contributed 19 points, but the rest of the lineup was less effective. Jones, Kennedy Burke, and Leonie Fevich together managed only 8 points on a less-than-ideal shooting percentage.

The Valkyries overwhelmed Liberty during the second quarter, outscoring them 26-8—a stark reminder of how much they’ve struggled.

In the third quarter, Liberty saw the Valkyries extend their lead to 24 points, prompting Brondello to bring in Rebekah Gardner, who had been benched for the first 25 minutes. Gardner provided a necessary spark, tallying two steals and helping cut the deficit to 12 by the fourth quarter.

But unfortunately, Liberty couldn’t regain momentum.

They finished the game with their poorest shooting stats of the season, hitting only 31.6% from the field and 25.9% from beyond the arc.

Golden State, known for its solid home defense, has consistently held their last three opponents below 63 points.

After securing the win, Valkyries center Temifagbenru mentioned they were in “playoff mode,” hoping to snag one of the remaining playoff spots.

As for Liberty, this has been a challenging three-game road trip aimed at building momentum heading into the playoffs, but they’ve struggled in the first two outings.