Jul 19, 2024; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Connecticut Sun player Marina Mabrey participates in the 3-point contest during the WNBA All-Star Skills Night at the Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports The Connecticut Sun will look to defeat the Liberty for the first time in four tries this season when the clubs meet Saturday night in New York.
The Sun (21-7) needed a late comeback to post an 82-80 victory over the Chicago Sky on Friday. Marina Mabrey, who was acquired by the Sun from the Sky prior to the break for the Paris Olympics, stepped up in the clutch and finished with 24 points.
“She’s able to create shots and she draws a lot of defense. She just opens it up for us,” teammate Alyssa Thomas said of Mabrey. “She’s huge coming in off the bench. It’s not easy but it’s a huge spark for us and I think she really took over the game today.”
The Sun have won three of four games following the break.
The Liberty (25-4), in turn, have won eight in a row — with two of those victories being recorded against Connecticut. New York began the stretch with a 71-68 win in Uncasville, Conn., on July 10 and added an 82-74 decision at home over the Sun on July 16
The Liberty won their past two games without Sabrina Ionescu, who is nursing a neck injury. Ionescu, however, has been vocal on the bench.
“That’s her investment, her ownership of this team,” Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello said. “Helping them, even though she’s not playing. She can still help individual players on what she’s seeing. Her IQ is off the charts.”
According to The Next, Ionescu told Brondello that she will be ready to play on Saturday. Ionescu’s return means her team-leading 19.9 points and 6.0 assists per game will make an already difficult back-to-back for the Sun even more challenging.
–Field Level Media
