Great teams are always up for great challenges, and the Liberty answered the call. On Saturday afternoon, the Indiana Fever gave New York all it could handle, but the champs did just enough to hang on and survive in front of a raucous, sold out Indianapolis crowd. We’ll see Indiana again.
The opponent tonight are the new kids on the block! This is the inaugural season for the Golden State Valkyries, and the newest WNBA team has gotten off to a pretty solid start. They were on the road Friday night and survived a late Los Angeles Sparks rally to come away with the victory.
Where to follow the game
My9 on TV, Fox Local and Liberty Live for digitals. Tip after 7:00 p.m. ET.
Injuries
Nyara Sabally was a late scratch on Saturday with a right knee injury. She is listed as questionable. Leonie Fiebich left Saturday’s game with a right shin injury. She was a full participant at practice on Monday and is not on the injury report, so she should be good to go tonight.
Tiffany Hayes took an elbow to the face on Wednesday and missed Friday’s game. She’s listed as questionable. Monique Billings missed Friday’s game with a right ankle injury. She’s listed as questionable. Cecilia Zandalasini has yet to play this season due to a foot injury and will miss tonight’s game.
The game
The thing about being a new team is it takes time to find its footing. Everything is brand new and year one is all about establishing style of play and finding players who fit into your vision of the future. So far so good on that front. After a career best 19 points in 23 minutes off the bench on Friday, Carla Leite got the postgame interview on the broadcast, and phoned a friend to help her out
That’s really cool! To learn more about Carla, check out this video from my main man Taka Kauri!
The Liberty defense will look to keep Leite out of the paint tonight. Natasha Cloud in particular will look to build on her game saving steal against Caitlin Clark on Saturday afternoon. She’s been absolutely outstanding in her first week with the Liberty, and her combination of confidence and clutch play will serve the Liberty well the deeper we go into the season.
It’s AAPI Night at Barclays Center, and here’s the breakdown of the programming in store for fans at the arena
Jonquel Jones saved the day in the fourth quarter on Saturday, and the Liberty will turn to her once again tonight. Her combination of touch, deep shooting, and post magic make her one of the most valuable players in the sport and someone the Liberty can always count on down the stretch. The Valkyries employ only one center in Temi Fagbenle, who will be tasked with battling JJ and controlling the glass for her team.
Player to watch: Kayla Thornton
Hi, KT! Kayla Thornton will be back in New York after she was selected by the Valkyries in the Expansion Draft. Thornton meant a lot to the Liberty in her two seasons here and is someone that will forever be loved and appreciated in New York. Thornton will be getting her championship ring tonight, and I’m sure the fans at Barclays Center and watching at home will give her a rousing standing ovation. In shootaround, Kayla got to see her old friends and it was an emotional moment for everyone
She’s taken on a new role this season with Golden State and is taking almost eight three pointers a game. KT’s only made 13 percent of them, but when you get quality looks, you have to keep shooting and trust that they’ll go in.
KT will get the matchup of guarding Breanna Stewart. Stewie didn’t shoot well on Saturday, but made up for it by getting to the free throw line ten times and playing great defense in the fourth quarter. She’s talked before about how tough KT is as a defender, so she’ll have to go into her memory banks to figure out ways to win her matchup tonight.
From the Vault
Winning the championship on your birthday? Hell of a way for KT to celebrate!
More reading: Team Thirteen Valkyries Blog, The Valkyries Blog, Swish Appeal, Chicago Sun Times, Women’s Basketball Roundup, No Cap Space, The Strickland, The Local W, New York Daily News, New York Post, The Athletic. Fansided, Just Women’s Sports, SI All Knicks, Winsidr, Her Hoop Stats, CBS Sports, and The Next