Sabrina Ionescu and the New York Liberty were humbled by the Phoenix Mercury in Game 2 of their first-round series on Wednesday. The Mercury walked into Barclays Center and silenced the home crowd with a dominant 88-60 win to force a decisive Game 3.
The Liberty starters delivered their worst performance of the season, combining for just 32 points on 10 of 38 shooting from the field, including a dismal 4 of 18 from beyond the arc. Among them, Ionescu struggled the most, as the star point guard failed to find her rhythm offensively.
Despite the rough outing, the Liberty sharpshooter refused to make excuses. Instead, she vowed to bounce back in Game 3 which will be an elimination showdown for both New York and Phoenix.
“I’m alright, I’m not going to use any excuse but I’ll be better Friday,” Ionescu said after the game.
Sabrina Ionescu logged 26 minutes in Game 2 but managed just nine points on 3 of 13 shooting, including a rough 1 of 8 from 3-point range. The lowlight came at the free-throw line, where she shockingly missed three straight attempts and went just 2 of 6 overall. She rounded out her night with four rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block.
Sabrina Ionescu fires searing warning to teammates
Sabrina Ionescu called out the New York Liberty for their forgettable performance in Game 2. The star point guard indirectly warned her teammates, stressing that a repeat of their Game 2 showing in Game 3 would spell doom for the team.
“We can’t go out and play the same way we did and expect a different result,” Ionescu said. “We have to make the adjustments and play like our season is on the line, because it is.”
To put the Liberty’s defeat into perspective, the team set the unwanted mark for the largest home playoff loss and the second-worst playoff loss in franchise history. It also went down as the second-largest playoff loss ever suffered by a defending champion.
alt=”Atishay Jain” height=”72″ width=”72″>
Edited by Atishay Jain