The in the end spoiled ’s extremely anticipated season debut Sunday as they handed New York its second consecutive loss, 91-76.
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Ionescu began the sport robust.
, enjoying in solely her second sport of the season after a cyst initially sidelined her, regarded extra snug, too.
The 2 former school teammates at Oregon fed off each other.
Sabally completed with a team-high 20 factors on 6-for-14 taking pictures.
Ionescu made 4 of her first eight discipline purpose makes an attempt, together with a 29-foot 3-pointer.
She missed her final seven makes an attempt.
She completed with 11 factors, 5 rebounds and 7 assists with just one turnovers.
“I really feel good,” Ionescu mentioned after the sport.
New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) drives to the basket previous Dallas Wings Azzi Fudd throughout the first half of a WNBA basketball sport on the Barclays Heart in Brooklyn on Sunday, Could 24, 2026. Heather Khalifa for NY Publish
However the story of the night time was what Dallas did.
Within the first half, it was .
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Then, it was Azzi Fudd within the second half.
was a gradual pressure for the Wings all sport.
In the end, the Wings uncovered the Liberty.
The absences of (relaxation) and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton (private causes) had been all of the extra obtrusive.
Whereas the Liberty did a very good job patrolling the paint, New York — with out its two finest perimeter defenders — had no resolution for slowing the Wings’ elite guard play.
Fudd scored a career-high 24 factors, together with 17 within the third quarter.
Bueckers completed with 24 factors and Ogunbowale added 19.
The Wings shot 15-for-35 from deep, together with 9-for-18 within the second half.
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In the meantime, the Liberty made solely eight of their 26 makes an attempt from past the arc all the night time.
“As soon as they began getting going past the arc, the sport actually opened up for them,” mentioned. “And we’ve to search out methods to fight that.”
The Liberty’s protection has struggled early this season.
A few of that has been due to turnovers.
Liberty ahead Satou Sabally (0) appears to shoot over Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) throughout the first half of a WNBA basketball sport on the Barclays Heart in Brooklyn on Sunday, Could 24, 2026. Heather Khalifa for NY Publish
Miscommunication, gradual closeouts and never securing rebounds have been among the different causes, too.
In consequence, the Liberty have surrendered at the very least 90 factors in three of the previous 5 video games.
The Wings turned a one-point halftime deficit right into a 10-point lead getting into the fourth quarter.
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The Liberty by no means mustered up sufficient stops to get again into the sport.
“We simply must have a way of urgency,” coach Chris DeMarco mentioned. “We began out the sport robust on the defensive finish after which it’s concerning the adversity. After they hit a pair in a row, are we gonna have a struggle? Are we gonna have the right changes? Or are we gonna play collectively? And I do know we are going to. I do know we are going to.
“And tonight, they hit some photographs, we gotta be higher in transition, we gotta be higher offensively with the best shot in order that they’re not leaking out, however we’ll be proper subsequent sport, we bought one other one tomorrow.”
The Liberty are nonetheless feeling the rising pains of a brand new head coach and new system.
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They’ve but to play a sport at full power.
Raquel Carrera and Fiebich solely joined the crew a number of days in the past after successful a Spanish League title with Valencia earlier this month.
It takes time to get acquainted with each other and the brand new system.
The method isn’t linear.
Liberty ahead (30) shoots over Dallas Wings’ Awak Kuier (34) throughout the first half of a WNBA basketball sport on the Barclays Heart in Brooklyn on Sunday, Could 24, 2026. Heather Khalifa for NY Publish
“There’s good days, there’s dangerous days,” Jonquel Jones mentioned, “however in the end we’re all nonetheless studying.
“It’s not an excuse, it’s simply the actual fact. However I do suppose as a core group that we’ve to be a little bit bit extra linked, a little bit bit extra … aggressive in our sport plan and simply I really feel like groups, they really feel snug, they give the impression of being snug to me. Offensively, they simply seem like, ‘OK, it’s open season now. We might get what we wish.’ And we by no means need that to be our identification or the texture for different groups coming into Barclays.”
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What can the crew handle instantly?
“Probably the most fixable challenge is to cease letting groups rating 90 factors a sport, that might be nice,” Breanna Stewart mentioned. “Simply must make it more durable. It looks as if when we’ve a very good defensive stand they usually get an offensive rebound, issues like that and simply being relentless defensively after which fear about our offense.”
The Liberty have a fast turnaround, with the coming to city Monday.
“We have to do a greater job of executing and ending the performs,” Stewart mentioned. “We all know who these gamers are, there’s a way of urgency that’s form of missing, and by chance, like, when you might have video games and losses like this, a fast turnaround may be very useful although back-to-backs aren’t the simplest.”