Liberty Falls to Sun, Enjoys Happy Preseason Returns
BROOKLYN—Though they endured a preseason loss to the Connecticut Sun, the New York Liberty enjoyed a night of happy returns on Friday night at Barclays Center in their first unofficial follow-up to last year's championship run.
Amidst a 94-86 loss to Connecticut, Marine Johannes paced New York with 12 points while Rebekah Gardner had 11 with four rebounds in the starting lineup. Liberty legend Tina Charles paced the Sun with 17, allowing Connecticut (1-1) to split its two-game exhibition set.
Friday marked the Liberty's first exhibition game in the tri-state area since 2019, when they faced the same Sun in Albany. Breanna Stewart (rest) did not play as she continues to recover from offseason surgery while Leonie Fiebich remains stationed overseas.
Despite missing some regulars, New York starters shot over 72 percent from the field (15-of-22) but they also lost half of the team's nine turnovers, which Connecticut converted into 29 points. The Sun also took advantage of ample second chances, turning 12 offensive rebounds (four alone for Olivia Nelson-Ododa) in 23 second-chance points.
Natasha Cloud and Sabrina Ionescu played exclusively in the first half and united for nine assists and seven turnovers. Ionescu scored eight points on 3-of-4 shooting while Cloud sank her only attempt of the night.
Once Cloud, Ionescu, and Jonquel Jones took seats for the second half the game became an opportunity for the seafoam subs to impress. Though the defense and continued turnovers left something to be desired, several posted their shared of highlights. Johannes, back in black after taking last season off to focus on international work (including France's local Olympic run), took care of her scoring with four triples.
Johannes shared the spotlight with Gardner, who made her unofficial Liberty debut after missing all of last year's championship run with a torn Achilles, which followed a three-game showing with the Chicago Sky after she injured her foot in 2023. Gardner led the Liberty starters in scoring, hitting 4-of-5 tries from the field while playing aggressive defense. Newly re-signed Kennedy Burke also scored 10 as she filled in for the missing Stewart.
Rookies from last season took advantage of the preseason showcases afforded to them, as Marquesha Davis (10) and Jaylyn Sherrod (11) each made it to double figures. The latter, an undrafted free agents from last year's team, also picked up four assists and rebounds each. In other newcomer landmarks, Isabelle Harrison led the team with five rebounds while Odom, who previously played the 2020 season with the Liberty as a second-round pick, had six points and a block.
New York, however, generated only three second chances and Connecticut coverted theirs to the tune of key three-pointers. Marina Mabrey, Robyn Parks, and Jacy Sheldon sank three each while Lindsay Allen dished out seven assists and stood at a game-best plus-17 when she was on the floor.
The Liberty (0-1) will play their second and final preseason game on Monday night, when they take over the University of Oregon's campus in Eugene to take on the Toyota Antelopes, a club from Japan (10 p.m. ET, WWOR).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
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.