Sports
Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu's Liberty Called Out by WNBA Fans in Loss to Sun – Bleacher Report
The Connecticut Sun picked a great time to earn their first win over the New York Liberty this season.
Connecticut went into Barclays Center and walked out a 78-63 victor in Game 1 of the WNBA semifinals.
Many fans were surprised at how flat the Liberty looked.
The No. 2 seed found its footing in the second half of the year and swept its best-of-three opening-round series with the Washington Mystics.
That form didn’t carry over into Sunday. New York held a three-point lead at halftime, only to get outscored 28-15 by the Sun in the third quarter. Sandy Brondello’s squad couldn’t put together any sustained offensive run in the second half.
Pathetic effort from the Libs to start the second half
The Liberty look lackadaisical coming out of the half. After leading 40-37 at the half, the Sun now lead 53-42 with 5:39 left in the third. Sandy Brondello takes a timeout to stop the bleeding. <a href="https://twitter.com/TheNextHoops?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheNextHoops</a>
Natisha Hiedeman blocking Breanna Stewart on a fast break layup is quite the encapsulation of this game
I expected the Sun to be a little more sluggish for game 1 after having to go the distance with the Lynx but it's the Liberty who seem like they still waking up
It's now a 16-2 blitz from Connecticut to start the second half, and New York trails 53-42. The Sun have upped the intensity here in the third quarter, and the Liberty have yet to meet it. Really nice movement and cutting from Connecticut during this stretch.
Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu were singled out by fans.
Stewart shot 7-of-25 from the field for 19 points after having a so-so first round.
Idk what <a href="https://twitter.com/breannastewart?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@breannastewart</a> doing out there , hell this entire playoffs she been mia
Breanna Stewart's play has been underwhelming last few weeks.
Including today, per PBP Stats, we're looking at 11 shots at the rim for Stewie over her last *five* games <a href="https://t.co/u8E4xcUAyP">https://t.co/u8E4xcUAyP</a>
Stewie needs cleaner looks. Easier looks.
The Liberty are 31-3 when Breanna Stewart shoots above 30%, versus 3-5 (soon to be 3-6) when she hits 30% of her shots or worse. Stewart's 7 for 25 from the field tonight, 0 for 8 from 3. NY has a lot of offensive weapons but they'll need more from Stewart to win a championship
On Ionescu, Sun head coach Stephanie White clearly made it a focus to exploit the two-time All-Star on the defensive end.
You think the Sun gameplan involved hunting Ionescu? Lol
Go after Ionescu on defense every time.
I hope this is a wake up call for this team. The game is far from over, but we cannot come out and play flat the whole game. The Sun are doing everything they need to do and the Liberty are getting outplayed everywhere. <br><br>Sabrina has to step up. Stewie has to step the hell up….
Connecticut making Sabrina work offensively for tough shots and when they have the ball, they are attacking her. Sabrina isn't good defensively so it's a great strategy. Liberty will have to make some defensive adjustments.
Connecticut found a winning recipe with offensive balance and its typically suffocating defense.
DeWanna Bonner had a game-high 20 points, and three other Sun starters scored in double figures. Alyssa Thomas was the outlier, yet she still managed to fill out the box score (eight points, seven rebounds, 10 assists and two steals). Rebecca Allen seemingly savored the opportunity to get one over on her old team, finishing with 18 points and helping to stymie Ionescu.
From the moment the Liberty assembled their superteam by adding Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Courtney Vandersloot, fans eagerly anticipated a WNBA Finals matchup with the reigning champion Las Vegas Aces. The regular season ultimately did little to disabuse people of that notion.
Especially after Game 1, write the Connecticut Sun off at your own peril.