In what was a star-studded night and with 10,000 fans in attendance’ it was a thriller in Game 2 of the Semis featuring the New York Liberty and Connecticut Sun.
With a ton of special guest appearances at the Barclays Center, including New Yorks own Alicia Keys, Just Leon, G-Eazy (rapper), Common, Tierra Whack, Gail Bean, and New York Liberty Alum Cappie Pondexter fans were treated to an additional celebrity with a halftime with Bronx Native Remy Ma. The performance is an extra special one for Remy, as she had her daughter in attendance.
New York Liberty fans are encouraged to check out the video below for Episode 5 of the New York Liberty Chat as 1495 Sports Correspondent Kim Dillinger shares her thoughts on Game 2 of the Semis:
When it came time for the action on the court it was the New York Liberty bouncing back and implementing a Zone defensive scheme that helped to led to the win against the Suns 84-77. With the Victory the series between the Liberty and Sun is now tied at one.
“Consistency is hard and competing in the league of basketball is hard. I take pride in showing up every day because those hard things are the reason why I am standing here today,” said Liberty Forward Breanna Stewart in one of the more moving MVP speeches given.
Prior to the start of the action Stewart flanked by her daughter Ruby in a room full of family, journalists and her teammates received her second Kia WNBA MVP trophy for her outstanding performance in the 2023 season.
What is an incredible fact from the day is that Stewart is the first Liberty player to achieve this title in the 27 years of franchise history. Second MVP title overall for Stewart, as she won her first one while playing with the Seattle Storm.
Stewart decided that she wanted to come to NY to continue to be great and have already exceeded the expectations. Leading Liberty to their first piece of hardware winning the 2023 Commissioners Cup in July.
Ruby, meanwhile, lit up the press conference room with her bubbly personality standing side by side with her mother while she received her award from the WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert.
Fans are encouraged to check out the following videos from the ceremony:
In what was an emotional race there were a ton of fans that were upset that their favorite player did not win the award, as the 2023 MVP race was very close. One of the candidates for MVP in fact was at the Barclays Center in Suns Forward Alyssa Thomas.
“What Alyssa did this season was unbelievable so of course the news was emotional. That was tough for her, tough for her team but We came out for her tonight, we didn’t get the win, but we are going to continue to play for her,” said Dewanna Bonner.
To see more of what the Connecticut Sun said prior to the start of the action fans are encouraged to check out the video below:
Connecticut came out and wanted play to their fullest potential, especially for AT and with the series going back to Mohegan Sun Arena. There were a ton of impressive performances including that of DeWanna Bonner scoring 19 points, seven rebounds, and four assists.
The momentum was in favor of the Suns early, as they went on a 13-2 run in the 1st quarter leading into the Second. Tiffany Hayes had one of her best performances as she scored 30 points, grabbed three rebounds, and dish out two assists but that wasn’t enough to hold New York.
Basketball fans are also encouraged to check out the following photo gallery from the game. Photos taken by: Stacy Podelski/1495Sports
“For us it was a do or die situation. We allowed them to come in basically on our home court obviously and we felt like we needed to give the fans something to cheer about, play Liberty style basketball. The preparation was humbling in a lot of areas,” said Jonquel Jones after the game.
JJ showed some impressive low post moves, and got things started for Liberty in the First Quarter of scoring the first 7 points. Jones finished the night with her 14th double-double.
For JJ the double-double is the14th in her post season career, as she eventually wound up with 11 points and 13 rebounds. It was in the Second Half of the game that the Liberty picked up the pace, as they went on an 11-0 run, and were able to close out the game strong.
One of the new bits of strategy implemented by New York Liberty Head Coach Sandy Brondello during the second half of the game to switch to zone defense. This forced the Suns out of the paint, and that played a huge part in Tuesday night’s game.
Also having impressive performances are Betnijah Laney and Courtney Vandersloot, as both thrilled fans by landing shot after shot. Laney finished with 20 points on 63.6% (7-11) shooting from the field, four rebounds, and three assists, in addition her five three-pointers set a new postseason career-high.
As for Vandersloot she scored 19 points, dished out four assists, grabbed three rebounds, and added a postseason career-high-tying two blocks.
“We hadn’t played zone in a while, to be honest,” Sabrina Ionescu said after the game. “So, for all five that came in and played, to be locked in and on a string and understanding where we have to be, communication, making plays difficult for them getting into their action, but also rebounding out of the zone, it speaks a lot just about how prepared we were and understanding whatever coach was going to put us in, that’s what we were going to do.”
Ionescu showing a ton of heart and passion throughout the night, definitely also performed well on the court as she scored a team-high 21 points on 41.7% (5-12) shooting from the field, 100% (10-10) from the free throw line, five assists, and two rebounds. Her 10 made free throws without a miss tied the Liberty single-game postseason record.
The series between the Liberty and the Sun now moves to Connecticut for Game 3 to be played on Friday, September 29 at the Mohegan Sun Arena. The start of the action is scheduled to start at 8:00 PM with fans wanting to see the game can do so on the ESPN2 network.
For more information on the New York Liberty fans are encouraged to check out the link below: