'FOUND A WAY'
Libs outlast Mercury to snap 2-game skid
There they are.
There are the Liberty that were so tough last year. The Liberty that are expected to be a superteam carrying title expectations for the second straight year. The Liberty that they expect of themselves.
That version of the Liberty that had troublingly gone missing early in the season.
The Liberty entered Wednesday in the midst of something they hadn’t experienced as a group since much of the superteam was assembled before last season — a losing streak. Back-to-back losses, to the Sky and Lynx, marked the first time the Liberty had lost two consecutive regular-season games since they lost two straight on Aug. 6 and 8, 2022.
Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones had no interest in adding a third loss to the skid. And their energy was contagious, as the Liberty (5-2) beat the Mercury, 81-78, Wednesday night at Barclays Center.
“Way better than we were last game,” head coach Sandy Brondello said. “.We just competed way harder today.”
It didn’t come easily, however. The Liberty took it on the chin and wobbled. Using a 23-11 run, the Mercury pulled within one in the final minute of the second quarter and then took a 59-58 lead — their first since a 6-5 advantage with 7:24 left in the first quarter — with 1:03 left in the third quarter. The Liberty then quickly found themselves down, 65-60, with 7:52 left in the game.
But that’s the beauty of a superteam — there are so many different options at its disposal, and it was too much for the Mercury. While Ionescu paced the Liberty early, it was Jones and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton who closed down the stretch.
The Liberty responded with an emphatic 9-0 run to take a 69-65 lead with 5:17 left in the game. Then they stumbled again, down 74-71 with just over two minutes left. But there was Jones with another layup, and then there was Courtney Vandersloot with a steal and foul, hitting one of two free throws to tie the game at 74 apiece. Jones was fouled and hit two free throws, and Laney-Hamilton iced the game with a contested jumper to give the Liberty a 78-74 lead with 31 seconds left.
After being on the ropes, a historic two-game skid went no further.
“Don’t get too high or too low, just stay calm,” Brondello said of seeing their 15-point lead dissipate. “What can we control in that moment? We had some bad patches. … But we stayed composed and poised and together. If you can do those good things, usually good results happen. We managed to grind out a really good win.”
Fired up from the opening whistle, Ionescu helped spark what was a chippy affair. She even earned a technical foul with 1:18 left in the first quarter after hitting a jumper and unleashing an animated fistpump and a few choice words for her opponent.
No bother — Ionescu subsequently drilled a 3-pointer the following possession. Such was the way her night was going. She finished with a game-high 22 points and nine assists.
“I think [the fans] were riled up and gave us just a little bit of an extra boost,” Ionescu said.
Trailing 6-5 midway through the first quarter, Jones, Ionescu and Laney-Hamilton drilled 3-pointers on three straight possessions to give the Liberty a 14-6 lead. A Laney-Hamilton midrange jumper and another Jones 3-pointer later, and the Liberty had a 19-6 lead via a 14-0 run. The Liberty finished the first quarter on a 28-14 run, and led, 36-21, with 8:10 left in the second quarter before the Mercury punched back.
Jones finished with 20 points, 10 of which came in the fourth quarter, and Laney-Hamilton chipped in 15. Jones bullied the Mercury in the paint down the stretch.
“I think it was just we had a different level of intention allowing me to get down there and giving me time to really post up and seal,” Jones said. “Ultimately, I think it was just a mindset shift from me and my teammates.”
Kahleah Copper, who entered Wednesday averaging 25.5 points per game, which was tied for second-most in the league, struggled early but finished with 20 points for the Mercury. Natasha Cloud added 19.
It was far from perfect, but the Liberty are back on track.
“We found a way,” Brondello said.