Liberty Fall in Preseason Opener to Sun, 94-86

By: Ricky K

Hello sports fans, and welcome back to the IE Sports Radio Blog. The reigning WNBA champions, the New York Liberty, were back in action for their preseason opener against the Connecticut Sun. It was the first time that the Liberty fans got to see their team play a preseason home game since 2019. The result was not what the fans might have hoped for with the Sun winning, 94-86.  

The two key factors for the Sun's victory were that they were able to win the turnover margin and capitalize on the offensive boards. They forced 18 turnovers, which led to 29 points, and they picked up 12 offensive rebounds to the Liberty’s 3 (23 second-chance points). It was a 19-4 Connecticut run to end the 3rd quarter that put the game away.  

Now, the Liberty were without a few of their starters in Breanna Stewart and Leonie Fiebich, but their starters combined to shoot 15-for-21 from the floor.  

Sabrina Ionescu picked up 8 points on 3-of-4 shooting in 16 minutes. Last year’s WNBA Finals MVP, Jonquel Jones, had 7 points and 3 rebounds in 18 minutes of action.  

Friday brought about the debut for Natasha Cloud, who was acquired from the Sun in a trade this offseason. Cloud had 2 points and 3 assists in 14 minutes, but she also had 4 turnovers. After the game, Cloud called tonight’s loss a wake-up call as they prepare for the season.  

"Today was a good day...today was a good wake-up call...when you get to play against another actual team...it presents a different obstacle...rebounding, we've got to be better. We've got to get to the loose 50-50 balls...We got beat too much in transition...that's all effort and pride, getting our bodies back." 

When you are looking at preseason action, you want to see what players stand out that can make a roster and provide depth during the season. One player who did that against the Sun was Jaylyn Sherrod.  

The second-year point guard showed great effort on the defensive end, quick speed, and even knocked down a couple of three-pointers. She finished the game with 11 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals in 17 minutes. 

In addition to Sherrod, the Liberty saw a couple of key players return to the floor. Marine Johannes, who spent last season playing overseas, knocked down her first three three-pointers and finished with 12 points. 

Rebekah Gardner returned to the court for the first time since 2023 when she was with the Chicago Sky (missed the 2024 season due to an ACL injury). She had 11 points, 4 rebounds, and hit 4 of her 5 shot attempts. Marquesha Davis also had a strong game as she had 10 points.  

Leaonna Odom got to see some minutes as well. The 2020 2nd Round pick hadn’t played in a WNBA game since 2021, so it was good to see her get on the court. She was able to get 12 minutes in this game (6 points). As for the Sun, Tina Charles dictated play in the paint. She recorded 17 points and 6 rebounds in 24 minutes. 4 of the 5 starters on the Sun finished with double figures.  

Despite the loss, head coach Sandy Brondello told the media that this team did lose by 50 to the Chicago Sky last year in preseason, so there shouldn’t be too much looking into this game other than from an evaluation standpoint.  

“We lost by 48 last year to Chicago. It’s just a good lesson. These lessons are so important to our development. The things we can control, our communication, we didn’t execute as much as we have been….These practice matches are important.” 

The Liberty will wrap up their preseason with the Toyota Antelopes at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon (10 PM ET). It will be a reunion for Ionescu and Nyara Sabally as they return to the same gym they played their collegiate ball in at Oregon. 

In about a week, the Liberty will begin defense of their title when they take on the Las Vegas Aces at Barclays Center (May 17, 1 PM ET, ABC). On that day, the team will raise their championship banner and receive their rings. Tune in to New York State of Sports, hosted by Ricky K, on Mondays at 12 PM EST/9 AM PST. Be sure to check out all of our shows here on IESR. Shout out to our sponsors, Planet Jerky, Seal the Deal Wax Seals, and Vital Apparel, as well as all the listeners that continue to help our network grow. Thank you for reading, and we will see you next time on IE Sports Radio; your direct feed for ALL that is sports.