Sandy Brondello described Phoenix’s situation as “embarrassing” after their recent performance.
Sunday’s matchup in Atlanta was supposed to be a chance to salvage the road trip and end on a high note. Instead, Liberty suffered their fourth loss in five games, finishing at 90-81—definitely not the result they were hoping for.
In this game, Liberty allowed over 100 points for the second time in just six encounters with Mercury. The team’s defensive struggles were particularly evident when John Quell Jones took control.
Despite recent setbacks, Liberty had a shot at redemption against Dream, having previously secured an 86-81 win on June 17 at Barclays Center.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t meant to be.
Liberty’s defense once again faltered, as Britney Greener and Briona Jones struggled against the size and quickness of their opponents. New York seemed to be searching for a way to improve on their interior presence, but it was a challenge.
In the third quarter, Liberty managed to shift momentum slightly, trimming a 20-point deficit down to 10. However, that newfound energy didn’t last into the final quarter.
They allowed Greener to score quickly, and Alisha Gray also capitalized on free throws, increasing the Dream’s lead back to 17 with just over six minutes remaining.
As time wound down, Liberty couldn’t find their footing. Even though there was an effort, Brenna Stewart ended up sidelined with just two minutes left, despite almost achieving a double-double with 21 points and 9 rebounds.
A late three-pointer from Marine Johanne offered a flicker of hope, pulling Liberty within nine points. Natasha Cloud had a strong showing, contributing 20 points, six assists, and four rebounds.
Sabrina Ionescu added another 14 points but struggled, shooting 5-for-15 from the floor.
This was Liberty’s chance to draw closer, having not done so since the first quarter after a floater from Stewart had them trailing 63-53.
After somewhat steadying their offense, Stewart passed to Isabel Harrison at the three-point line, but hesitation cost them. Liberty notched a 19-4 run that day, but strong responses from Greener and Jones accounted for a substantial portion—35 out of 62 points scored in the paint, something Liberty needed to address with only 36 in return.
Liberty was caught in a web of mismatches, which Dream took advantage of, including Jones overpowering the smaller Johannes in the paint.
By mid-quarter, Dream had established a commanding 20-point lead, prompting Brondello to call her second timeout, clearly frustrated.
