The New York Liberty started their title quest in a big way with an 83-69 win in their Game 1 defeat of the Atlanta Dream.
Surprises right out the gate
Head Coach Sandy Brondello made a surprising decision right before tip-off as she switched Courtney Vandersloot with rookie Leonie Fiebich in the starting lineup and called it her “jumbo” lineup. Brondello’s bold move paid off as Fiebich finished with a career-high 21 points on 7-8 shooting while also making four three-pointers. Speaking of the shooting from downtown, New York was on fire in the first quarter as they knocked down their first three attempts from beyond the arc. That start propelled them to a dominant win at the Barclays Center.
The Liberty fed off the electrified crowd and immediately took control of the game. Led by a 14-0 run, New York jumped out to a 29-16 first-quarter lead. There were questions about whether or not Sabrina Ionescu would find her consistency as she’s been streaky since returning from the Olympic break. She certainly shattered any doubts with a great performance in Game 1, finishing with 17 points on 5 of 11 shooting. She also did a great job of distributing the basketball, looking like the Sabrina Ionescu we’ve all grown accustomed to seeing.
Stewie played her game
The old saying goes, “defense wins championships” and the Liberty took that to heart as their defense stymied the Dream attack throughout the contest. Brondello’s squad ended the game with five blocks and 10 takeaways. Breanna Stewart came off her Eastern Conference Player of the Month acknowledgment with a very strong first game of the playoffs. The reigning Most Valuable Player finished with 20 points on 7-16 shooting and a double-double that included a team-high 11 boards. She also did a fine job of setting up her teammates with open looks all game long.
Vandersloot makes history
Despite coming off the bench, Vandersloot was still able to contribute with four points, three assists, and four rebounds. Speaking of those assists, the veteran guard made some major history in Game 1 as her three assists allowed her to officially become the WNBA’s all-time playoff assist leader (365) passing the legendary Sue Bird (who happened to be sitting court-side for this game). Everything that could go right did go right for the Liberty and now they stand just one win away from advancing to their second consecutive semi-finals. They’ll look to close out the Dream at home tomorrow night in Game 2 (7:30 PM EST. ESPN).
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