Liberty Falls Short Against Valkyries
SAN FRANCISCO — The Liberty appeared to be “out” in this matchup.
Overpowered and outperformed by the smaller Valkyries, they lost 76-67.
After a previous defeat, Jonquel Jones pointed out the team’s energy issues, which sadly resurfaced as they fell to a team with a lower ranking.
Brianna Stewart noted this issue again on Sunday.
“You can’t just play with heart and effort when the going gets tough,” Stewart said. “This is a low point for us. We’re not a finished product, but this just wasn’t our best performance.”
And it really wasn’t.
The Liberty should have anticipated this result.
The Valkyries, on the other hand, clearly came prepared.
Gabby Williams recognized that the Liberty would come in ready to make a statement after their prior loss to the Storm. She was confident that the Valkyries, coming off two wins against the Dream, were equipped to outplay the seemingly flawed Liberty squad.
On Sunday, they proved just that.
Ending the second quarter on an impressive 11-0 run, the Valkyries led 41-29 at halftime, marking Liberty’s lowest scoring first half of the season.
And things didn’t improve after the break.
Liberty struggled, allowing two offensive rebounds on a single possession before Kayla Charles nailed a layup, pushing the lead to 16 points with just over five minutes left in the quarter.
As the fourth quarter began, the Valkyries managed to secure a 64-48 lead, thanks to a buzzer-beater from Janelle Saraun.
From that point on, the game was effectively over.
Many of Liberty’s previous losses had been narrow, but on this occasion, they were clearly outmatched.
They were out-rebounded 30-22, turned the ball over 12 times, and allowed 15 points from second chances.
Although they entered as favorites, the Liberty has been hampered by injuries. Key players were missing, including Leoni Fievich and Sabrina Ionescu in the first matchup, and Sato Sabally due to concussion protocol on Sunday.
Yet, general manager Jonathan Kolb assembled a strong roster to handle the rigors of a lengthy season.
For the past couple of weeks, aside from a win against the defending champion Aces, the Liberty hasn’t looked like a team ready to win consistently.
They have stumbled against the Mystics, Fire, Sparks, and Storm—all lower-tier teams.
The main issue for Liberty was that they couldn’t capitalize at Barclays Center against a team they had previously beaten.
“We never blamed anyone but ourselves, because we know we are in control,” Ionescu mentioned. “This is a time for us to regroup after this road trip, and we must focus on areas for improvement.”
With high expectations this season, especially after parting ways with coach Sandy Brondello just a year after winning their first championship, the pressure is on.
Stewart expressed that, while she’s not surprised by their current standing, there’s much to improve upon.
“This is my 10th season,” she shared. “Sometimes you expect good outcomes, but sometimes they don’t pan out, and that’s just how it goes. I stress to my teammates to not get too high or too low. Sure, losing games will have implications later, but we just want to keep striving to do our best. I mean, sometimes I reflect and get frustrated, but for now, staying focused is what matters.”
