At halftime Sunday, Sandy Brondello looked at Nyala Sabally and said, “Get ready for the big lineup.”
The third-year center, who only played a total of 15 minutes in the Liberty's semifinal series against the Aces, was what Brianna Stewart called an “X-factor.”
In Game 5, Sabally helped the Liberty defeat the Lynx in overtime, 67-62, helping the team win its first title.
Sabally had only played 15 minutes in a playoff game in his career, but he logged a playoff-high 17 minutes off the bench and scored 13 points.
“It’s really just the mental preparation of getting ready and being locked in,” Sabally said after becoming champion. “Whatever time you're given, that's what you get and you have to be ready to be on the floor. Our team has very high standards and we have to work hard to live up to them. You have to be ready for it or you'll only hurt your team in the long run.
“But when you have great teammates, it's easier in a way to get up on the floor and leave everything alone, because my role is very simple: run the floor, get rebounds, maybe get a bucket. To shoot some.”
She, along with Stewart and eventual WNBA Finals MVP Jonquel Jones, entered the second half with Liberty trailing by seven points. This was a new strategy based on the length of the remaining matches.
The three played less than 10 minutes together on the court throughout the Liberty's season, but by the end of the night they accounted for 43 of the team's points.
Sabally had back-to-back layups off assists from Sabrina Ionescu, who scored just five points in the championship game. With three minutes left in the third quarter, Bucket gave Liberty its first lead of the night, 40-38.
She had nine points in the quarter, including 3-of-4 from the foul line.
“Listen, we were tired. We tried to do everything we could, and we needed a spark, and she was it,” Stewart said of Sabally. “So she continued to trust the process. We're so proud of you.”
After Leonie Fibic made the first 3-pointer in overtime, Sabally made a big steal and layup off a bad pass from the Lynx's Kayla McBride to put Liberty ahead 65-60.
Sabally, 24, has faced a number of injuries early in his career.
The Liberty team selected her with the fifth pick in the 2022 draft out of Oregon State, even though she was dealing with a right knee injury and knew she would be out for a season.
“The biggest match of her career and she really rose to the occasion,” Brondello said. “For a young player that says a lot about her. The future is pretty, pretty bright.”
