The New York Liberty took to the court in Chicago for the first time this season. The Liberty would start the usual five they used last season while their bench featured numerous new pieces. The Sky would see Angel Reese, the return of Diamond DeShields, and the additions of Chennedy Carter, Michaela Onyenwere, and Brianna Turner. Ultimately, the Sky dominated from the start and won 101-53.
Notables missing for New York in this game were Leonie Fiebich, Nyara Sabally, Kennedy Burke, and Ivana Dojkić. The Sky would be without Kamilla Cardoso, Brynna Maxwell, and Taya Reimer.
Rust and Poor Shooting
The New York Liberty returned their starting five from last season, and there appeared to be a lot of rust and incohesive plays. Their statistics combined were not that good. The starters shot 10-33 (30.3%) from the field and 2-12 (16.6%) from three-point range. Additionally, they combined for 14 rebounds, only six assists, and 11 turnovers.
For Liberty fans, this is all too familiar to how they began the 2023 season. The Liberty’s bench shot roughly the same, 32.2 percent from the field and only 1-5 from three-point range. Sabrina Ionescu would lead the Liberty in scoring with 8 points.
Turnovers
Any game with 20 or more turnovers is never good. The Liberty finished the game with 23 in total and never had a set offensive game. The Sky had 12 steals in the game as well as five blocks. Breanna Stewart topped the team with four turnovers while Breanna Fraser had three. The majority of the second half was played without any of their starters and the rookie rotation couldn’t get anything going. It shouldn’t be surprising the lack of cohesion there appeared to be with so many new pieces to the Liberty’s bench.
Rookie Debuts for the New York Liberty
Marquesha Davis, Jessika Carter, Esmery Martinez, Jaylyn Sherrod, Brianna Fraser, Rita Igbokwe, and Okako Adika all made their Liberty debuts in this preseason game. This game was, more or less, about these rookies showcasing their best to try and make the Liberty’s final roster. Stephanie Mawuli topped the bench players with six points while Breanna Fraser had four rebounds.
Davis, the Liberty’s first-round pick, grabbed four points and three rebounds in 14 minutes. Additionally, Jaylyn Sherrod was a defensive force with 2 steals in under a minute while shooting 2-2 from the field.
For Chicago, Reese had 13 points and 5 rebounds. The Sky’s other rookies, Cardoso and Maxwell, were both out due to injuries. Marina Mabrey led the Sky with 20 points and 4 assists while Dana Evans added 19 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds.
What’s Next for the New York Liberty?
The Liberty head to Connecticut to face the Sun on May 9 while the Sky will open the regular season on May 15 at the Dallas Wings. The WNBA preseason ends on May 11 while rosters have to be finalized on Monday, May 13. The WNBA’s 2024 regular season will kick off on Tuesday, May 12 on ESPN2 and Disney+.
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