Sports
Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu throws up courtside during WNBA Finals loss – Fox News
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2023 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.
Fox News Flash top sports headlines are here. Check out what’s clicking on Foxnews.com.
New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu was feeling the pressure during Game 4 of the WNBA Finals on Wednesday night.
After hitting a massive 3-pointer less than halfway through the fourth quarter with the Liberty trailing the Las Vegas Aces, the former Oregon standout hurried over to the sideline and vomited into a trash can.
Sabrina Ionescu of the Liberty drives against the Las Vegas Aces during Game 4 of the WNBA Finals at Barclays Center on Oct. 18, 2023, in New York City. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
At the time, New York was on the brink of losing the championship to the Aces, who had taken a 2-1 lead in the Finals.
LIBERTY OWNER JOE TSAI GETS LAST LAUGH AFTER ESPN STAR CRITICIZES TEAM’S FAN BASE
The incident didn’t appear to be cause for concern, however. According to ESPN sideline reporter Andraya Carter, Ionescu revealed that she battles through nerves before stepping on court.
“You talk about nerves in a Finals moment, Sabrina Ionescu who just hit a big 3 and came over to the sideline and lost the contents of her stomach, she told me that she gets nervous before games but she went right back out, wiped off her chin and kept on playing.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
New York suffered blowout losses to the Aces in Games 1 and 2, losing 99-82 in the opening game of the championship and 104-76 the next. On the brink of elimination, the Liberty pulled off an 87-73 win on Sunday night to force a Game 4.
After leading in the first half of Wednesday night’s game, New York allowed the Aces room to climb back. With the game tied at 64, Las Vegas scored six straight points, including the first four by Jackie Young, to go ahead 70-64 with 1:26 left.
Sabrina Ionescu of the New York Liberty drives against the Las Vegas Aces at Barclays Center on Oct. 18, 2023, in New York City. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
In a heartbreaking finish for the Liberty, Courtney Vandersloot’s missed 3-pointer handed the Aces a 70-69 victory to become repeat champions.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“It’s tough. It’s tough to win a fourth,” New York head coach Sandy Brondello said after the game. “It would’ve been nice to go and play Game 5 and then lay it all out on the table.”
Sabrina Ionescu of the New York Liberty reacts after a play during the WNBA Finals game against the Las Vegas Aces at Barclays Center on Oct. 18, 2023, in New York City. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
“You know, we fought but it wasn’t our best game today. It’ll be a hard one to learn from, but in the end I’m proud of this group, of what we accomplished, and how we’ve come together as a totally new group and trying to build the chemistry and the togetherness and they committed to what we wanted to do. We’ve got to take it as a learning experience now and as we move forward remember how it feels and use it as motivation.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Paulina Dedaj is a Sports Reporter for Fox News Digital.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2023 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.
