Championship Hangover?
What exactly does a hangover mean?
Just a few days after clinching the Commissioner’s Cup, the Liberty got back to business on Friday, taking down their rivals, the Lynx, with a score of 99-86.
Brianna Stewart lit up the court, racking up a season-high 36 points. Despite the victory, she mentioned she was trying not to let her team get too caught up in the excitement of their recent win.
Stewart started strong, making all seven of her shots in the first quarter for 16 points. She kept the pressure on throughout the game, relentlessly attacking and frustrating the Lynx.
It was clear she wasn’t going to let the Liberty slip by without a solid win.
And she succeeded.
For the Lynx, things were tough without Napheesa Collier, who is still recovering from surgery on both ankles. They’re also waiting for Dorka Juhasz to make her season debut after suffering a sprained foot.
Lynx coach Sheryl Reeve was hoping to make history on Friday, needing just one win to tie Mike Thibault for the WNBA’s all-time coaching wins record. She boasts 379 regular season victories over 17 seasons with the Lynx.
However, Liberty made sure she’d have to wait a bit longer to reach that milestone.
The Lynx managed to close an 11-point gap to just three during the second quarter, but New York quickly responded with a 13-2 run, stretching their lead to 10 points near the end of the first half.
They only allowed the Lynx to get as close as eight points again in the third quarter.
Sabrina Ionescu, after struggling for a couple of weeks, has now put together two impressive games, scoring 17 points and dishing out six assists.
“I love the level of competition,” coach Chris DeMarco remarked about Ionescu’s improvement. “She’s been out for a while, but she’s really getting comfortable now.”
All five starters for the Liberty scored in double figures, with Jonquel Jones notching his sixth double-double of the season, finishing with 14 points and 15 rebounds, reinforcing his All-Star candidacy.
Pauline Astier also scored 14 points with six assists, while Leonie Fievich contributed 13 points, four assists, and three rebounds. Olivia Miles, a strong contender for Rookie of the Year, added 14 points, alongside five rebounds and five assists.
For the Lynx, Kayla McBride led with 18 points and three steals.
Despite occasional struggles against lower-ranked teams in the league, the Liberty have managed to hold their own against the top competition. They’ve beaten the Aces twice (including in the Commissioner’s Cup final), the Atlanta Dream once, and now the Lynx.
