The New York Liberty could not disappoint its 17,758 spectators who had gathered Thursday evening at the Barclays Center. Especially since opposite them, Angel Reese's Chicago Sky, the new record holder for the “double-double” series in the WNBA, arrived. In front of the biggest crowd in its history, Sabrina Ionescu's team was nevertheless off to a very bad start, since the Liberty was up to 14 points behind with its star shooter who took a while to get her sights in (1/8 at halftime).
After the break, Sabrina Ionescu recovered well, and distinguished herself with a 6/9 shooting to finish as the top scorer for her team. The Kayla Thornton – Sabrina Ionescu duo even eclipsed the Sky in the last quarter with a 22-14 between them to finally win 91-76.
“She’s a pretty special player, isn’t she?” laughs Liberty coach Sandy Brondello. “I know Sabrina had a rather atypical start to the match, but you can never stop her for more than 20 minutes, and she showed that in the second half.”
15th double-double in a row!
Opposite, Angel Reese recorded her 15th double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, and she continues her historic streak. The Sky center, however, found herself in particular difficulty scoring, finishing the game at 5/17 shooting. The new queen of the double-double is on her 16th this season, and she is now only six lengths away from the double-double record for a rookie. Proof that her streak is exciting the Americans, the New York crowd applauded her when she grabbed her 10th rebound.
“They like women's sports”, she emphasizes. “Here, we don't know the limits… So many records have been broken, not just by me, but with so many different players in this league.”
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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.
