Libs come together for comeback win
In a game in which the Liberty trailed by as many as 17 points, late-game heroics from Sabrina Ionescu, Breanna Stewart and Courtney Vandersloot ignited a dramatic 89-88 overtime win over the Washington Mystics on Sunday afternoon at Barclays Center.
A fourth-quarter and overtime barrage of 3s from Ionescu, a game-tying layup from Vandersloot, and the game-winning three-point play from Stewart were the difference.
“Just having so many weapons, being able to use everyone to help us win is what we did tonight,” Ionescu said. “This was a team effort that everyone played their [butt] off [in].”
The Liberty’s offense struggled mightily in the first quarter, shooting just 3-for-17 in a dismal performance punctuated by a 13-0 Mystics run that turned into a 23-6 lead.
“[I said,] ‘Wake the [heck] up,’ ” head coach Sandy Brondello said about her early-game message to the team. “‘We’re not executing anything. We’re not playing. They’re up. They’re competing harder than us.’ ”
Stewart, who was named an AllStar team captain during the game, wasn’t able to find the transcendent form that has been characteristic of her all season during those first 20 minutes, missing all of her seven shots from the field.
Ionescu powered the Liberty offense all game, finishing with 31 points and six assists, taking the reins from Stewart as the team’s lead offensive option on a day when her co-star shot 4-for-17.
Stellar guard play from the Mystics kept the Liberty at arm’s length for much of the first three quarters.
Washington guards Ariel Atkins and Natasha Cloud poured in 24 and 23 points, respectively, carrying the offensive load on an afternoon when Washington star forward Elena Delle Donne was limited to 15 points on 15 shots.
The Liberty took a one-point lead midway through the fourth on a Stewart jumper, but Atkins answered with a 3-pointer to immediately regain the lead. And when the Mystics led by eight points with 2:28 remaining, it looked as though D.C. was going to emerge with a victory in the team’s second meeting of the season — Washington soundly defeated the Liberty 80-64 in the season opener.
But a late fourth-quarter surge from the Liberty and pivotal missed free throws from the Mystics kept the home team in the game.
An Ionescu 3-pointer and missed free throws from Cloud and forward Tianna Hawkins paved the way for the Liberty to have a chance.
Vandersloot took advantage, dashing through the lane for the game-tying layup with 2.0 seconds left, sending the contest to overtime tied at 78.
The Big 3 of Ionescu, Stewart and Vandersloot were the only Liberty players to score in overtime, which Stewart punctuated with a driving layup and a foul shot that put the Liberty up for good.
Stewart said the victory was an important culture-building moment for a team that is crafting its identity in the midst of a young season.
“Everybody was just happy, people did their jobs, people did jobs differently than they have been in the past however many games,” Stewart said. “Everybody knew that we were locked in, that we wanted to win this one.”