The WNBA’s first-round playoff best-of-three series are unforgiving for both teams.
The Atlanta Dream — in this case — had their backs against the wall in a do-or-die Game 2 with no more room for error. And for the Liberty, a loss at home Tuesday night means a decisive Game 3 in Atlanta despite having the No. 1 overall seed.
“Remember last year we escaped,” Sandy Brondello said rhetorically as a message to her players, referring to last year’s overtime first-round Game 2 that nearly resulted in a loss. “We could’ve been going back to Washington… that’s tough to win on someone else’s home court.”
The Liberty escaped again on Tuesday night, getting a 36-point performance from Sabrina Ionescu in a 91-82 Game 2 win at Barclays Center. The win secures a sweep and books a second-round matchup with the No. 4 seed Las Vegas Aces or No. 5 seed Seattle Storm.
Ionescu added on nine assists and a rebound in the win. Jonquel Jones had 20 points and 13 rebounds. Atlanta’s Allisha Gray scored a team-high 26 points while Ryne Howard contributed 19 more.
Game 1 was an easy blowout win decided way before the final buzzer. Game 2, however, wasn’t decided until the final minutes after the home team’s defense wrapped the win. The Libs won the final period, 26-18, and got a double-digit lead with 2:22 remaining in regulation after Ionescu’s layup. It was essentially the dagger after she came up big with two treys, both beyond 24 feet, in the prior minutes.
She took the game over and heard MVP chants from the crowd while draining two free throws in the final seconds.
But before Ionescu’s takeover, it was Gray who took centerstage inside Barclays Center.
The first quarter was the Allisha Gray show. She played the entire period and went 5-for-5 and scored 14 points. Unlike Sunday’s Game 1, Gray and Howard, who scored six in the period Tuesday, struck first and dictated play at the point of attack. It led to an 28-19 advantage at the end of the first.
As Liberty dwindled the lead, starter Leonie Fiebich got glued to the bench after recording her third foul. But her team was able to start the quarter, 18-8, and regained the lead after Ionescu drained a 30-foot trey that cued the Barclays Center crowd to roar.
But a 12-6 finish in the final six minutes of the second — without Fiebich’s length on defense — helped Atlanta go into halftime up, 48-43. Fiebich absence was clear, with guard Jordin Canada getting free for a wide-open floater and pull-up jumper during that span. The guard also went into halftime with five assists. She eventually finished with eight points and 11 assists.
Tina Charles’ made jumper with three seconds remaining in the half sent the message to the Liberty: a sweep on the Barclays Center floor won’t come easy.
Fiebich started the third on Canada while the Libs forced two shot-clock violations within the first two minutes. But the Dream managed to trade buckets and at the 7:35 mark in the third, Howard rose up to reject Breanna Stewart fast-break layup at the rim. The star guard then followed up with five points within the next minute to put the Dream up, 55-47, and force a Liberty timeout.
But Ionescu, however, had a run of her own. After a Fiebich made trey, Ionescu scored five straight, including an and-1 layup on Charles to tie the game. She scored six more in the quarter as the Liberty went into the final period up one.
That’s when Ionescu held it down for her team and got a less eventful finish than last year’s Game 1 in the first round.
“We don’t want to go and play another game,” Brondello said pregame. “So that should be motivation in itself — to get a few extra days rest.”
Few extra days rest secured. They’ll need it with a WNBA Finals rematch possible in the next round.
