Liberty Stifles Sky to End Regular Season on High Note
The New York Liberty certainly hope the Sky is not their limit as the knockout portion of their championship begins.
Once again armed with a fully-stocked roster, the Liberty took advantage of a chance to build some late momentum with a 91-86 victory over the severely shorthanded Chicago Sky. New York (27-17) thus ends the season on a three-game winning streak, gaining the last two with their regular season starting five.
In her second showing back from a four-game absence, Sabrina Ionescu put up a double-double at 11 point and rebounds each while Breanna Stewart up a game-best 24 points. Rebekah Gardner has a season-high 15 off the bench by shooting 5-of-5 from the field, becoming the first New Yorker to a have a perfect night with at least five tries since Jocelyn Willoughby in 2020.
Granted one last opportunity to build late chemistry, the Liberty's primary women took instant advantage by leaping out to an early 13-2 lead and never looking back despite several Chicago threats spearheaded by Kamilla Cardoso, who broke out for 21 points on 10-of-15 from the field. The Liberty led 28-11 after the opening period and led by as much as 23 in their celebratory finale.
With 10 points and four boards in the second period, Emma Meesseman provided the stabilization off the bench that has come to define her recent metropolitan endeavors: in her last four games, the in-season acquisition Meesseman has averaged 12.8 points and 4.5 rebounds while shooting over 61 percent from the field.
Despite Chicago's shorthanded status, as it was down to only seven available women in its season finale, the Liberty was in no position to take them lightly after dropping a frustrating 91-85 decision at Barclays Center last month.
Whereas that game was defined by points off turnovers, surrendered second chance opportunities, and excessive Chicago visits to the foul line, the Liberty managed to clean things up this time around to the tune of a plus-nine advantage on the glass (allowing only five second chance points in the process) and losing only six turnovers through the first three periods. New York also let Chicago go to the foul line only 12 times while they themselves sank 15-of-17 singles.
Playing purely for pride, the Sky did manage to stage a furious late run once the Liberty took the fourth quarter to give their starters some rest. Chicago put up a 23-7 tally after the Liberty took their biggest lead of the day on a Gardner three, offering some relief to a loyal crowd gathered at Wintrust Arena. Final threes from Gardner and Marine Johannes were enough to restore seafoam sanity and send the Liberty into the playoffs on a three-game winning streak.
Thus ends a brutal season for Chicago (10-34), which dropped three-of-four against the Liberty this season. The Sky played without embattled franchise face Angel Reese, who missed the final four games of her sophomore tour amidst a back injury a partial suspension for comments labeled detrimental to the team. Maddy Westbeld led the team with 25 points off the bench in defeat.
The Liberty will now immediately jet to the desert where the Mercury awaits for opener of a best-of-three set on Sunday. Tip-off time and television position will be announced later.
Geoff Magliocchetti is a veteran sportswriter who contributes to a variety of sites on the "On SI" network. In addition to the Yankees/Mets, Geoff also covers the New York Knicks, New York Liberty, and New York Giants and has previously written about the New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Staten Island Yankees, and NASCAR.