With Breanna Stewart out Saturday, Liberty faced a tough rebounding and player depth challenge.
But despite being without their two-time MVP, they came out on top in a spectacular 81-67 win over the Sky in the second consecutive meeting between the two teams.
Sabrina Ionescu led the team in scoring with 28 points and five assists in a second-half surge, while Ivana Dojkic came off the bench to make up for Stewart’s absence with 12 points and Leonie Fievich added 13 points and six rebounds.
The combination of Fievich and Jonquel Jones (nine rebounds) helped limit Chicago’s twin towers, Angel Reese and Camila Cardoso, in the paint, helping the Liberty stay alive and advance in games they won.
Reese had recorded 15 straight double-doubles entering Saturday, but fell two points short of extending his streak with a touchdown in the fourth quarter in response to his fifth personal foul.
Just days after the Liberty needed a late game to pull away from Chicago in Brooklyn, a 15-0 lead at halftime gave them the early advantage.
Ionescu started slowly but picked up steam late in the second quarter, sparking a dominating run against Chicago, assisting on a Dojkic 3-pointer and a Jones layup and making two free throws to end the half.
After trailing 3-2, Liberty led by nine by halftime and the team’s best player flourished.
There was a moment of crisis when Marina Mabry hit two 3-pointers to cut the Sky deficit to seven points heading into the fourth quarter.
But the Liberty continued to keep Chicago at bay throughout the fourth quarter, and Chicago was unable to regain its early advantage and add to the points.
With 3:27 left in the game, consecutive points from Chennedi Carter put the Sky up by eight points.
But a jump shot from the free throw line by Ionescu and a technical foul by Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon with 90 seconds left put the lead back in double digits, more than enough to hang on to.
Ionescu’s deep three-point shot was the deciding factor.
But the best news of the day for the Liberty, aside from improving to 20-4 on the season, was that Stewart’s injury doesn’t appear to be a long-term issue.
“Stewie could have played today but it’s probably wise to rest him,” coach Sandy Brondello said before the match against the Sky. “We just need to get as much time as we can. It’s a big game for us but we still have to think about the bigger picture and be as smart as we can about the health of our players.”
That’s at least a positive sign for the Liberty, who go on an Olympic break following Tuesday’s home game against the Connecticut Sun.
Stewart will then travel to Paris representing the U.S. national team alongside Ionescu.
Coach Brondello made the decision to bench the superstar forward, who leads the Liberty in scoring with 19.3 points per game, more out of load management than concern.
“We’ve lost three of our four games. It’s a minor injury. Let’s rest him today. Hopefully he’ll play in the next game.”
The Liberty gave Kennedy Burke her first start of the season in place of Stewart, using the 27-year-old in place of Kayla Thornton, who came off the bench.
The Liberty, like the rest of the league, has had a tough time navigating a condensed schedule due to the month-long Olympic break. In addition to Stewart, Betnijah Rainey-Hamilton also missed his third straight game on Saturday with a right knee injury.
