Sabrina Ionescu and the New York Liberty have been humbled by the Phoenix Mercury in Sport 2 of their first-round sequence on Wednesday. The Mercury walked into Barclays Heart and silenced the house crowd with a dominant 88-60 win to pressure a decisive Sport 3.
The Liberty starters delivered their worst efficiency of the season, combining for simply 32 factors on 10 of 38 taking pictures from the sphere, together with a dismal 4 of 18 from past the arc. Amongst them, Ionescu struggled essentially the most, because the star level guard failed to search out her rhythm offensively.
Regardless of the tough outing, the Liberty sharpshooter refused to make excuses. As a substitute, she vowed to bounce again in Sport 3 which shall be an elimination showdown for each New York and Phoenix.
“I am alright, I am not going to make use of any excuse however I will be higher Friday,” Ionescu mentioned after the sport.
Sabrina Ionescu logged 26 minutes in Sport 2 however managed simply 9 factors on 3 of 13 taking pictures, together with a tough 1 of 8 from 3-point vary. The lowlight got here on the free-throw line, the place she shockingly missed three straight makes an attempt and went simply 2 of 6 total. She rounded out her night time with 4 rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block.
Sabrina Ionescu fires searing warning to teammates
Sabrina Ionescu referred to as out the New York Liberty for his or her forgettable efficiency in Sport 2. The star level guard not directly warned her teammates, stressing {that a} repeat of their Sport 2 exhibiting in Sport 3 would spell doom for the workforce.
“We won’t exit and play the identical method we did and anticipate a unique outcome,” Ionescu mentioned. “Now we have to make the changes and play like our season is on the road, as a result of it’s.”
To place the Liberty’s defeat into perspective, the workforce set the undesirable mark for the biggest residence playoff loss and the second-worst playoff loss in franchise historical past. It additionally went down because the second-largest playoff loss ever suffered by a defending champion.
Edited by Atishay Jain
