With a battle for positioning currently underway and with there being three games left in the 2023 WNBA Season, as the New York Liberty took to the floor at College Park Center on Tuesday night, the ladies edged the Dallas Wings 94-93 in the finale of their three-game matchup. Liberty came out on top this season with 2-1.
A close game for Liberty and Dallas. Liberty already with the number 2 seed for the playoffs did not let up. The biggest leads in the game happened during the second quarter where Liberty had a 16-6 run, and the fourth quarter Wings went on a 19-8 run. At the end of the game the Sabally Sisters traded jersey at the end of game. It’s safe to say it was a friendly moment between siblings.
Satou Sabally is one of the leaders on the Wings, as she is helping to lift the team to the 4th seed in the playoffs. She finished with 27 points, four rebounds, and four assists, while Arike Ogunbowale totaled 19 points and five assists.
Adding to her MVP Campaign Breanna Stewart set a WNBA single-season record fourth 40-point game, as she scored 40 points on 56% (14-25) shooting from the floor, including 42.9% (3-7) from three, 10 rebounds, two assists, and one block.
Stewart’s now fourth-career 40-point game ties the WNBA record for the most career 40-point games all-time. Her 40-point, 10-rebound game also secured her 20th double-double of the season, tying the Liberty’s single-season franchise double-double record.
In addition with her free throw at the 0:10 mark of the second, Breanna set the new all-time WNBA single-season scoring record, breaking Diana Taurasi’s previous record of 860 points from 2006. Tonight’s 40-point performance also marked her fifth game of 35-plus points this season, tying the WNBA single-season record for 35-plus point games.
There have been so many ways that the addition of ‘Stewie’ to the New York Liberty Roster has been able to help them during the course of the year and with each game that is played is looking more and more like the leading candidate for the 2023 WNBA MVP.
Thanks to her fine play Breanna was named to the Kia WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month for August, which is her third Monthly honor of the season.
Courtney Vandersloot had herself an impressive night with her 16 points on 53.8% (7-13) shooting from the field, including 40% (2-5) from deep, a game-high 10 assists, four rebounds, and two steals, marking her eighth double-double of the season.
“We knew that we weren’t as aggressive as we needed to be in the first half, and so, going into the locker room, that’s something that we talked about. How when we are disruptive when we are aggressive, it makes a huge difference,” said Betnijah Laney.
To see more thoughts from Head Coach Sandy Brondello along with Breanna Stewart and Betnijah Laney after the team’s latest victory in Dallas fans are encouraged to click on the video below-video is compliments of the New York Liberty:
In her Second Year in leading the team Head Coach Sandy Brondello has been named the WNBA Coach of the Month for August.
“ We came away with a really great one tonight “ stated Brondello
Thus far the 2023 edition of the Liberty have played well for Coach Sandy as they currently hold a franchise-best 31-7 record through 38 games and the second-ever 30-plus-win season in WNBA history: surpassing her 29-win WNBA Champion Phoenix Mercury team in 2014.
In August, she led New York to a league-best 9-1 record, as well as the 2023 Commissioner’s Cup Championship on August 15, securing the first championship hardware in Liberty franchise history.
Up next for the New York Liberty the ladies return back to New York City in hosting the Los Angeles Sparks on September 7 and the Washington Mystics on September 10. The game between New York and Los Angeles is scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m. with the action airing on the Amazon Prime Video streaming platform.
For more information on the New York Liberty fans are encouraged to click on the link seen here: