Breanna Stewart continues to play like an MVP as the new look New York Liberty settles into the WNBA season. In a road game last Friday, the Liberty defeated the Chicago Sky, the former team of Liberty newbie Courtney Vandersloot. It looked to be a repeat when New York took on Chicago at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Sunday, but it wasn’t to be. Although the Liberty dominated in the first half, the Sky, led by Kahleah Copper, came back and secured an 86–82 win. The Liberty were 4-2 when they hosted the Minnesota Lynx at the Barclays last night (Wednesday).
“I’m obviously disappointed. It shouldn’t happen. I just think we went away and became complacent, and this is a team that’s very dangerous,” said Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello. “They lifted their intensity and we were still in the locker room. We talked about, ‘Do not be complacent.’ Hopefully, this is a wake-up.”
Four Sky players were in double figures. Three Liberty players, including Stewart, who recorded her third consecutive double-double, were in double figures, but it was not enough. A nice addition to the Liberty line-up is Marine Johannès, who made her 2023 home debut against the Sky, contributing 11 points and two assists off the bench.
RELATED: New look Liberty gaining momentum
“We just didn’t play tough enough,” said Brondello. “The film won’t lie, so we’ve got to use it as a learning opportunity. There’s nothing great about our team right now. We’re going through a bit of the mud, but sometimes these games can be what needs to happen.
“It’s on all of us,” Brondello expanded. “I don’t put blame on anyone. It’s on us, including myself. We all have to be better. We all have to buy into the way we want to play. We all have to do it together.”
The WNBA announced a multi-year partnership with Sony Interactive Entertainment, making PlayStation® the official console and marketing partner of the league. The long-term goal is to elevate women’s sports globally. Look for a big reveal at the upcoming WNBA All-Star Game in July.
June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month, and all the teams across the WNBA will be having Pride festivities. The league is selling limited-edition Pride merchandise, with a portion of the proceeds going to LGBTQ+ charitable organizations, including Athlete Ally.
The Liberty will face the Atlanta Dream on the road tomorrow night and return home on Sunday afternoon for the their annual Pride game versus the Dallas Wings. They’ll meet up with the Dream again next Tuesday in Brooklyn.
