Liberty Stunned by Wings in Frustrating Loss Without Breanna Stewart
So, something pretty unexpected happened in the WNBA world Monday night, and it's got fans and players alike talking. The New York Liberty — one of the top teams this season — were handed a pretty tough loss by the Dallas Wings. And when I say tough, I mean embarrassing and frustrating — those were the exact words used by Liberty players and staff after the game.
Let’s set the scene. The game was played in Arlington, Texas, and right out of the gate, it was clear the Liberty weren’t locked in. The Wings opened the game on a dominant 21-4 run. That early surge turned into a 30-point lead at one point, and by halftime, the Liberty were down by 27. It was their biggest halftime deficit in years. The Liberty just couldn’t match the energy and execution Dallas brought in the first half.
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Dallas, now 8-19 on the season, played like they had something to prove. Arike Ogunbowale was incredible, dropping 20 points along with a career-high 14 assists. Paige Bueckers, the rookie standout who had just returned after missing a game, added 20 points of her own — and really gave Liberty defenders a hard time. The Wings held on to win it 92-82, despite scoring only 7 points in the fourth quarter.
After the game, Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello kept the team in the locker room for nearly 40 minutes. It wasn’t a normal post-game wrap-up — it was a full-on team meeting. According to her, slow starts have been a trend lately, and this one finally pushed things to a boiling point. She called out the lack of resistance and connection on defense, saying it all comes down to effort.
It’s worth mentioning that the Liberty were playing without their superstar Breanna Stewart, who exited Saturday’s game against the Sparks with a lower leg injury. Thankfully, it doesn’t appear to be serious, but there’s still no timeline for her return. Her absence was definitely felt, especially in the paint and during those early defensive breakdowns.
Despite the loss, there were some bright spots for New York. Jonquel Jones led the way with 18 points and 7 rebounds, and Sabrina Ionescu added 17 points, even though she didn’t shoot particularly well. But moral victories don’t count in the standings.
Now, with back-to-back losses and a big matchup coming up against the league-leading Minnesota Lynx — who are 22-5 — the Liberty need to regroup fast. If the meeting didn’t light a fire under them and Stewart remains out, that gap in the standings could widen quickly.
Still, Ionescu made one thing clear: "We’ve got to focus on ourselves. No excuses."
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