The New York Liberty went into Tuesday night’s WNBA Commissioner’s Cup championship having won 11 of their previous 12 games and holding the best record in the league. Their opponent, the Minnesota Lynx, guided by head coach Cheryl Reeve, who will lead the USA’s women’s Olympic team next month in France, are also a title contender this season. So in what was a potential WNBA finals preview, the Lynx came away with a hard fought 94-89 win.
The game was held at UBS Arena on Long Island, located at Belmont Park and home of the National Hockey League’s New York Islanders, moved from the Barclays Center, the Liberty’s home building, due to the arena being prepared for the NBA Draft.
Lynx forward Bridget Carleton scored a team-high 23 points and fellow forward Napheesa Collier, a member of Team USA, scored 21 to lift the Lynx to a 13-3 record, third best in the league when today’s schedule tips off.
The Liberty were paced by their pair of Olympians as forward Breanna Stewart topped all scorers with 24, the most in the four years the Commissioner’s Cup has been staged. New York point guard Sabrina Ionescu continued her impactful play, posting 23 points and 10 rebounds, although she only shot 2-11 on 3-point attempts, well below her career average of 38%. Despite the loss, the Liberty maintained the best record in WNBA. They are 15-3, the best start to a season in franchise history, and one game ahead of both the Lynx and 13-3 Connecticut Sun.
“What do we have to do for you guys really to start believing in us,” Reeve sternly said to the media at the postgame presser. “Now you gotta say ‘ok, we just beat a superteam.’ You know how hard that is to do? Cause you guys love your superteams, man!”
The game also marked the return of Liberty guard Courtney Vandersloot after she took off to be with her family during her mother Jan Vandersloot’s final days in a two-year battle with cancer. Jan Vandersloot sadly passed away last weekend.
”She’s been through so much, but it’s good for her to come out on the bench tonight (versus the Dream),” said Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello on Sunday, “and be a part of that because even though she hasn’t been playing, we’ve been doing our best to represent her well.”
Almost 27 years to the day from when the WNBA league began with a game between the New York Liberty and the Los Angeles Sparks, the two teams faced off in back-to-back games at the Barclays Center last Thursday and Saturday. The Liberty emerged victorious in both, coming away with 93-80 and 98-88 wins respectively before ending an tiring stretch of three games in four days by defeating the Atlanta Dream 96-75 on the road on Sunday.Ionescu dropped 26 points and added 11 assists versus the Dream. Veteran forward Jonquel Jones added 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Stewart had a complete outing with 17 points, eight rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocked shots.
In the absence of starting forward Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, who was sidelined with a right knee injury, rookie Marquesha Davis came off of the bench to provide nine points on 4-8 shooting.
“I’ve been trying to stay ready and each time I get in just embrace the opportunity,” said Davis.
The Liberty will next play this Sunday hosting the Dream in Brooklyn and then face the Lynx again at the Barclays on Tuesday.