The second set was much less easy than two days ago, but the Liberty held on against the Wings to win 79-71 and record an eighth straight victory. However, the Liberty, already qualified for the playoffs, was behind in the middle of the last quarter and Breanna Stewart was struggling with her shots. Orphaned by Sabrina Ionescu, who was hit in the neck, the Liberty star was 2 of 14 on shots before the 4th quarter
“It wasn't pretty, but sometimes you have to win even if the way you win is ugly.”, concedes Sandy Brondellothe Liberty coach. “We stuck together, and I think that shows the cohesion of this team. Even through adversity and not playing well, nobody pointed fingers at anyone. It was more like, ‘Let’s do this now, let’s figure it out.’ They always try to support each other, congratulate each other, encourage each other. As long as that’s the case, we’re in a good place.”
In the last six minutes, Stewart finally took things in hand by serving her teammates, going to the line and finding success in shooting. She would finally finish the game with 19 points (including 8 in the last six minutes of the game), shooting 5/18 but 9/11 on the free throw line, with 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals.
A victory by gritted teeth
“I had to keep pushing. It's frustrating not to see my shots go in.”Stewart acknowledges. “But I know my teammates are watching me and trusting what I'm doing, I know the next shot is going to go in, I just stay myself.”
For this eighth consecutive victory, Liberty was therefore without Sabrina Ionescu, but also Betnijah Laney-Hamilton (knee). In their absence, Leonie Fiebich (16 points) did not tremble when giving her team an 8-point lead with a three-point shot to seal the victory. And this, despite pain in her ribs.
“She's just solid,” concludes Brondello. “You could say she needed to be rested, but she saw that other players weren’t there, and she’s more of a ‘OK, I’ll take a chance.’ That’s what she told me at the beginning. That shows her commitment, she’s the kind of player we like. We never want someone to play if she can’t. We’re always very careful about that. But she held her own tonight, and we’re glad she did.”
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-pointers / 3-pointers attempted; LF = Free throws made / Free throws attempted; O = Offensive rebound; D = Defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = Assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Steals; Bp = Loose balls; Ct: Blocks; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the court; Pts = Points; Eval: Player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
