With their full roster, unrestricted by injuries, the New York Liberty defeated the Washington Mystics 75-66.
With a 26-17 record and ranked fifth in the WNBA standings, the Liberty overcame their rivals thanks to a crucial detail, but they must improve in one important aspect if they want to stay alive in the Playoffs.
Liberty’s strengths and weaknesses
The New York team not only outscored the Mystics in points, but also out-rebounded them by 36 to Washington’s 29.
That this happened was planned and something they wanted to work on, as revealed by the team’s star player, Breanna Stewart who was absent for 13 games due to a right knee injury, returning to the court on August 25:
“Our points of emphasis are rebounding, making sure we control the boards,” Stewart shared. “I didn’t know [the Mystics] only had two offensive boards tonight, so big credit to everyone on the court for getting the job done there. That’s really tough [against] a team that crashes very hard.”
Liberty took advantage of this game to test their chemistry, their game and different strategies for the upcoming playoffs, as they want to keep the WNBA Championship Trophy at the Barclays Center. This was announced by Breanna, who averaged 25.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.7 steals during the series.
As a result of these changes, Stewart was able to visualize what aspects the team must improve on the court:
[We’re] putting people in different spots and seeing how that goes, knowing that…controlling the boards and no live-ball turnovers, that’s a non-negotiable. That needs to happen throughout. We need to be better with the turnovers, especially live-ball.
The truth is New York ranks as the third highest playoff team in turnovers per game, averaging 13.9.
Meanwhile, Liberty prepares to travel to face Angel Reese’s Chicago Sky on Thursday, Sept. 11 at Wintrust Arena in what will be the final regular-season game for both teams.
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