Sabrina Ionescu, Liberty Prevail in Eugene Exhibition
The New York Liberty went back to school and taught a few lessons to an adoring public in their favorite classroom: Matthew Knight Arena.
The defending WNBA champions emerged victorious in an exhibition game held on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene, taking down the Toyota Antelopes, a Japanese club, by an 84-61 final on Monday night in the Pacific Northwest. It was the final game of the WNBA preseason before the 2025 action begins in earnest on Friday.
New York prevailed on Sabrina Ionescu Day, a newly-minted May 12 holiday named in honor of the Liberty sharpshooter and Ducks legend.
Ionescu dazzled in her return to the Ducks' nest, sinking six three-pointers en route to a game-best 25 points, all but eight coming in the second half. Breanna Stewart, making her unofficial season debut, scored 16 on 7-of-9 from the field while earning two boards and steals in 15 minutes after resting during the Liberty's prior preseason game on Friday in Brooklyn.
Marine Johannes scored 10 off the bench while newcomer Natasha Cloud had a team-best six assists. All but two of the New Yorkers that partook had at least one helper, totaling 23 on 31 successful shots from the field.
The spotlight, however, undeniably belonged to Ionescu and Nyara Sabally, former Ducks who parlayed their success in Eugene into prime spots in the WNBA Draft. Both appeared in Monday's starting lineup and, much to the delight of the over 12,000 gathered at UO.
Sabally, whose fourth-year option was exercised hours before tip-off, finished with seven points and five rebounds and the Liberty (1-1) was plus-15 on the scoreboard when she was on the floor, second-best on the team next to Ionescu and Kennedy Burke (plus-17).
It was a particularly emotional trek for Ionescu, who was afforded an official good bye and thank you on Oregon's floor after her chance at one last national title run was wiped out by the NCAA Tournament's cancellation at the end of the 2019-20 season.
Ionescu constantly played into the urges of a Eugene crowd that included her collegiate coach Kelly Graves and generated a deafening roar when she sank a particularly deep three-pointer from the cusp of the Ducks' "O" emblem at midcourt. It resulted in a brilliant outing that allowed Ionescu to take in a joyful atmosphere and fulfill head coach Sandy Brondello's goal of capping her time at 25 minutes (falling 12 seconds short of that landmark).
Maika Miura led a respectable effort for the Antelopes with 16 points, which also featured 10 assists from Yuuna Onodera.
The Antelopes, two-time champions in the Women's Japan Basketball League, kept things close in the first half thanks to a flurry of threes. With nine in the first half, the Antelopes were trailing by only six at the halftime break but Ionescu's first three of the half permanently placed the Liberty ahead by double figures.
An 11-3 run at the top of the fourth, consisting entirely of Ionescu tallies, officially put the game out of reach and allowed the Liberty's reserves to take over.
Things get real when the Liberty take the floor again, as they'll receive their championship rings and begin their first title defense on Saturday when the Las Vegas Aces visit Barclays Center on Saturday afternoon (1 p.m. ET, ABC).
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.