Sports Buzz

Tag: New York Liberty

  • Sabrina Ionescu with the exclamation point after setting career-high numbers to help Liberty advance

    Sabrina Ionescu with the exclamation point after setting career-high numbers to help Liberty advance

    Sabrina Ionescu had an incredible night as she tied a franchise playoff record with 36 points to help the New York Liberty beat the Atlanta Dream 91-82 on Tuesday to advance to the semifinals of the WNBA playoffs.

    Jonquel Jones added 20 points and 13 rebounds for a Liberty team that was seeded number one in the playoffs. They completed the sweep on the the best-of-three series and will face either Las Vegas or Seattle in the next round that begins Sunday in New York.

    A’ja Wilson in tears at press conference after Las Vegas Aces sixth loss of the season

    The Liberty took a one-point lead entering the fourth quarter but then the New Yorkers took control towards the end with a remarkable period by Ionescu to lead her team to a series clinching victory to get to the next rounds.

    Atlanta had a chance in the game

    Atlanta was in the game right up until the last quarter. They led by 11 points in the second quarter before Ionescu started hitting shots from a long distance with many of them being 3-pointers.

    The Liberty took a four-point lead with a 40-36 score, but the Dream closed the first half on a 12-3 run to go into halftime. Then, once again the Ionescu show appeared, as she tied Cappie Pondexter for the most points by a Liberty player in the postseason.

    Now the Liberty will seat back and relax while they see the Las Vegas and Seattle series unfold, as they can enjoy an extra day of rest to study their opponent and prepare for the second round of the playoffs.



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  • Sabrina Ionescu stuns the WNBA with a shot from the floor that shocks everyone: You've got to be kidding me

    Sabrina Ionescu stuns the WNBA with a shot from the floor that shocks everyone: You've got to be kidding me

    Sabrina Ionescu was the star of the WNBA on Friday night when she hit the most incredible shot that shocked the watching fans and all those tuned in at home.

    Fans of the New York Liberty are pretty accustomed at this point to seeing Ionescu do ridiculous things on the court but even they would not have expected what she pulled off on Friday night.

    Caitlin Clark cooks Sabrina Ionescu in unseen footage from WNBA All-Star Game

    The Liberty were leading the Seattle Storm 85-77 with just over five minutes left of the first quarter and Ionescu drove towards the basket and unleashed a shot whilst she was falling to the floor.

    That attempt didn’t go in but in one swift movement, the 26-year-old gathered her own rebound as she got to her feet and still scored, whilst on her knees.

    Incredible from Ionescu

    “You gotta be kidding me,” a broadcaster shouted just seconds after her ridiculous play.

    “It was the most open I’ve been all night, so I decided to go for it,” Ionescu told reporters after the game. “To be honest, I didn’t realize I was on the ground. I saw the basket and it looked good…I’ll take it. Shooters shoot.”

    Ionescu finished with 25 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in the 98-85 win. It was her fifth game this season with 25 or more points and just the second time she had eight or more rebounds.

    Needless to say, social media was ablaze with fans reacting to the shot and the Liberty went on to win the game 98-85 at the expense of the Storm.



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  • $6.4k tickets as US hoops’ new sensation Caitlin Clark battles in WNBA debut

    $6.4k tickets as US hoops’ new sensation Caitlin Clark battles in WNBA debut

    Women’s basketball sensation Caitlin Clark scored 20 points but gave up 10 turnovers on a tough WNBA debut as her Indiana Fever team fell to a 92-71 loss to the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday (all times US).

    Clark, NCAA Division I basketball’s all-time leading scorer, has brought unprecedented attention to women’s basketball with her college career which rewrote the record books and shattered attendance and television viewing records.

    Indiana took her as the number one draft pick, maintaining the buzz around Clark which had peaked with her run to the national championship game with Iowa.

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    The hype in the build-up was always going to be hard to live up to, but Clark and her team endured a tough night against a strong Suns defence.

    “There’s a lot to learn from, it’s the first one,” Clark told a post-game press conference.

    “There’s going to be good ones, there’s going to be bad ones.”

    Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever reacts after a foul during the first quarter against the Connecticut Sun in the game at Mohegan Sun Arena on May 14, 2024 in Uncasville, Connecticut. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

    The game at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, was sold out, with courtside seats being offered for as much as $4,262 ($AU6,416) on secondary markets.

    While she was making her debut on the road, it was evident from the crowd reactions that many had come just to see the star of last month’s NCAA tournament.

    Clark’s 20 points made her the Fever’s top scorer and came on 5-of-15 shooting, 4-of-11 on three-pointers and 6-of-6 on free throws. She also had three assists, two steals and 10 turnovers.

    Clark struggled early in the game, picking up two touch fouls which saw her head to the bench prematurely.

    Her first points did not come until there was 5:24 remaining in the second quarter, although she found her flow later with 13 second-half points.

    “I would have liked to have played a little better tonight. Obviously getting into foul trouble and then you are going to sit on the bench and try to come back and get a little bit of a flow,” she said.

    “Obviously too many turnovers – that’s not going to get the job done. There’s a lot of things to learn from.

    “I thought it took me a little while to settle into the game. I thought the second half was a lot better minus some of the turnovers,” she said.

    The Sun’s star forward Alyssa Thomas recorded a triple-double with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists.

    Clark will make her home debut in Indianapolis on Thursday against last year’s WNBA runner-up New York Liberty.

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  • Liberty plan to put franchise tag on Breanna Stewart and hope to bring back free agent Jonquel Jones

    Liberty plan to put franchise tag on Breanna Stewart and hope to bring back free agent Jonquel Jones

    Breanna Stewart and the New York Liberty fell just short of winning the franchise’s first WNBA championship, losing to the Las Vegas Aces in the Finals.

    It was the first time that Stewart experienced losing in a championship round since her freshman year of college. The league’s MVP had won the two Finals series she had played in before with Seattle and won four NCAA championships at UConn. Her lone loss in a title game came in the Big East Tournament her freshman season.

    “Making sure that I don’t feel that again, I think that’s really my mindset and mentality going forward,” Stewart said Friday.

    New York hopes to bring back most of the same team next season. Stewart could be an unrestricted free agent but Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb said that he would give her the franchise tag so that she can’t sign a contract directly with another team.

    “It’s my first time being cored. Not surprising,” Stewart said. “I’m excited for what we’re doing here in New York and with the Liberty. … I’m looking forward to it for many years to come.”

    Stewart enjoyed her first season in New York and is focused on trying to bring the city a championship.

    “This isn’t the goal that we had at the start of the season. We didn’t want to just get to the Finals. We weren’t content with being one game away from winning the whole thing,” she said. “But we wanted to win, and really just building off of that and not forgetting what it feels like to be here.”

    While Stewart definitely isn’t going anywhere in the near future, the Liberty will need to figure out a way to re-sign free agent Jonquel Jones, who flourished in the playoffs. She averaged 17.0 points, 11.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks in the postseason.

    Jones, who came to New York in a trade in the offseason, is also an unrestricted free agent.

    “She’s a player that we definitely want to retain, and we’ll continue those talks into the offseason,” Kolb said.

    Jones enjoyed her first season in New York and said that she’s “definitely trending towards coming back here.”

    The Liberty already have Betnijah Laney, Courtney Vandersloot and Sabrina Ionescu signed for next season. Ionescu revealed on Friday that she was dealing with a hip injury in the WNBA Finals that she sustained against Connecticut in the previous round.

    She refused to use the ailment “as an excuse” but said that was not 100% in the Finals. She averaged just 9.7 points and shot 31.5% from the field in the four games.

    “I had to get an injection before (Game 1) just to be able to play those first two Vegas games,” she said. “So obviously, not ideal. It’s just kind of what happens. There’s no excuse obviously but, I mean, I wasn’t really able to walk, so timing wasn’t great.”



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  • Rough night! WNBA Player Sabrina Ionescu Vomits On Live TV

    Rough night! WNBA Player Sabrina Ionescu Vomits On Live TV

    In a high-stakes Game 4 of the WNBA Finals, New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu showcased her unwavering determination and resilience, despite a notable moment of vulnerability.

    With the Liberty trailing the Las Vegas Aces and their championship hopes hanging in the balance, Ionescu’s nerves and the weight of the moment reached a climax.

    Less than halfway through the fourth quarter, after sinking a crucial 3-pointer, the Oregon graduate dashed to the sideline and regrettably emptied her stomach into a trash can.

    The incident unfolded while the Liberty were on the precipice of potentially losing the championship to the Aces, who had secured a 2-1 lead in the Finals.

    Ionescu showed courage beyond duty

    However, the episode did not appear to derail Ionescu’s resolve. ESPN sideline reporter Andraya Carter shed light on Ionescu’s pre-game anxiety, highlighting her candid admission about battling nerves.

    Carter reported, “You talk about nerves in a Finals moment, Sabrina Ionescu, who just hit a big three and came over to the sideline and lost the contents of her stomach. She told me that she gets nervous before games, but she went right back out, wiped off her chin, and kept on playing.”

    Despite the Liberty eventually falling to the Las Vegas Aces, Ionescu managed to sink another critical shot in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter, keeping her team in contention.

    Liberty fought until the final whistle

    The New York Liberty, needing a win in Game 3 to stay alive in the Finals, delivered an impressive performance, supported by a record crowd, to secure an 87-73 victory. Heading into Game 4, facing an injury-depleted Aces team, the Liberty aimed to force a decisive Game 5.

    Ionescu acknowledged the challenge of playing against an injured Aces squad, emphasizing the team’s focus on their own goals amid unfortunate circumstances.

    In this emotionally charged Finals battle, Ionescu’s display of resilience on and off the court is a testament to the grit and determination that defines WNBA athletes.



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  • Opals gun Cayla George joins elite group of Aussie WNBA champs after key role in title clincher

    Opals gun Cayla George joins elite group of Aussie WNBA champs after key role in title clincher

    Australian Opals star Cayla George scored 11 points as she joined an elite club as a WNBA champion after the Las Vegas Aces became the first team in two decades to win back-to-back titles.

    George, who joined the Aces before this season, became the 11th Australian to win a WNBA title, a list that includes the legendary Lauren Jackson as well as Penny Taylor, Erin Phillips and current Opals teammate Ezi Magbegor.

    In a thrilling fourth game of the championship series, the Aces held on for a 70-69 over the New York Liberty, coached by Opals mentor Sandy Brondello, to seal a 3-1 series win and a second-successive championship.

    Cayla George (left) is a WNBA title winner. Picture: Sarah Stier / Getty Images North America / Getty Images via AFPSource: AFP

    This season was a fourth for George in the WNBA and she made her first playoff start in the fourth game of the series, played in New York, after injuries to starting point guard Chelsea Gray and starting centre Kiah Stokes.

    “This group has been forged out of adversity,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said after the win.

    ”They weren‘t put together based on super-team expectations. They sucked for a long time … They’ve earned this moment, they’ve earned this opportunity, and so now it’s just on us to go grab it.”

    The Aces became the first team in 21 seasons to record back-to-back championships.

    George entered the WNBA after being named the WNBL MVP in Australia last season.

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