BROOKLYN, NEW YORK — They lastly received it performed. After dropping seven consecutive common season video games to the Liberty, the Solar pulled out a 72-64 win on Saturday night time, in entrance of a dissatisfied crowd at Barclay’s Heart.
The win was a well-rounded effort that noticed 5 Connecticut gamers attain double-figures on the second night time of a back-to-back: Marina Mabrey (15 factors), DiJonai Carrington (13 factors), Olivia Nelson-Ododa (12 factors, 2 blocks), Brionna Jones (11 factors) and DeWanna Bonner (10 factors).
This late into the season, no singular sport goes to disclose something drastic about both workforce, and Saturday’s outcomes don’t change the truth that New York has been the most effective workforce within the league all season (and within the earlier three video games in opposition to Connecticut).
However, there’s a pair issues that we can take away in Connecticut’s large win:
The Solar have hope in a playoff sequence in opposition to the Liberty
Earlier than the sport, Liberty coach Sandy Brondello mentioned it was essential for her workforce to return out with a win so as sweep the season sequence, and preserve the Solar’s confidence low heading into the playoffs.
“It is a potential Finals matchup,” Brondello mentioned. “We’ve gained three of these video games — it’s extra ‘don’t give them any hope.’”
New York Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello on going through the Connecticut Solar tonight:
“It is a potential Finals matchup. We’ve gained three of these video games — it’s extra ‘don’t give them any hope.’” pic.twitter.com/bkDQ76gxTx
— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzell) August 24, 2024
However, with the win, the Solar ensured that wouldn’t be the case.
“We had rather a lot to determine within the locker room,” DeWanna Bonner mentioned postgame. “We had an enormous and issues modified. So for us to return collectively like that and get a win like this, it’s enormous.”
Notably, the win additionally ensured they’d keep a slim lead over the Minnesota Lynx for the #2 seed. The Solar enhance to 21-8 on the 12 months; the Lynx are only a half a sport again at 22-8.
Connecticut’s protection withstands the hardest take a look at within the WNBA
The Solar — proprietor’s of the league’s second-best protection this season — held the Liberty to 18 factors beneath their season common. Two-time MVP Breanna Stewart was held to only 15 factors, whereas Sabrina Ionescu shot simply 3-13 from the sector.
“I feel it’s essentially the most constant sport we performed, notably on the defensive finish of the ground,” Stephanie White mentioned. “We did a we did a superb job of attempting to get them into the photographs that we wished them to take. After we had breakdowns, we rapidly remedied them. We performed with a number of ranges of effort, so after we needed to scramble, we continued to make effort to make hustle performs and contest photographs and end performs. We made large performs offensively after we wanted to and getting getting the manufacturing we received from the bench was large for us.”
Olivia Nelson-Ododa was extremely impactful off the bench
The 6’ 5 ahead has performed a restricted function for the Connecticut Solar thus far this season — heading into Saturday’s sport in opposition to the Liberty, she averaged simply 3.2 factors in 12.1 minutes an evening.
However, Nelson-Ododa was key to preserving the Solar on this one early on — she scored 8 factors within the first half and completed the sport with 12 factors, 4 rebounds, and a pair of blocks in quarter-hour, battling with Jonquel Jones when Brionna Jones took a seat.
After the sport, she credited her teammates, in addition to the teaching workers for working together with her all through the Olympic break.
“Our beginning 5 does a lot, particularly simply logging in so many minutes,” Nelson-Ododa mentioned. “So I feel the mentality of, not simply myself, however the bench, is simply attempting to go in and contribute in any method that we are able to. Credit score to my teammates for placing me into good positions to only sort of get going somewhat bit tonight.”
Stephanie White praised Nelson-Ododa’s exercise, each defensively and offensively. Tasked with guarding Jonquel Jones for stretches, Nelson-Ododa held her personal, racking up two blocks and using her size to disrupt the previous MVP.
“I feel her exercise degree is healthier on each ends of the ground,” White mentioned. “Liv is a participant who is usually a actually good slasher, cutter — notably after she units on or off ball screens. I feel she made herself accessible. She did a superb job of recognizing matchups, and when she was cross matched, making herself accessible within the publish.”
Marina Mabrey adjustments all the things for Connecticut
Marina Mabrey scored a team-high 15 factors in 26 minutes off the bench, only a day after exploding for a team-high 24 factors in a win in opposition to the Sky. However, maybe most spectacular was her hustle. Mabrey drew an offensive foul on Jonquel Jones halfway by way of the fourth quarter that Stephanie White later described as “enormous.”
She seemingly dove on the bottom and fought for unfastened balls every time she was within the neighborhood, reminding the world there’s a cause why Alyssa Thomas beforehand known as her a dawg.
“She’s only a excessive IQ basketball participant,” Solar head coach Stephanie White mentioned pregame. “She simply she will get it — she strikes nicely with out the basketball. She understands the place the ball must get to, who to get it to. She has actually good instincts in that space.”
Mabrey provides the Solar not less than a partial answer to their offensive struggles.
“She provides us a possibility for for a deeper run together with her potential to not simply shoot the ball, however to make performs. You noticed that in our sport final night time, not simply making photographs, however making performs, and making performs for her teammates in addition to in addition to for herself. And he or she’s a clutch shot maker. We don’t have that — you’ll see at sure factors of us attending to the bottom of a shot clock or the underside of a shot clock, and we don’t get something out of it. And he or she’s a participant who can try this.”
DeWanna Bonner praised Mabrey’s willingness to return off the bench and thrive in that function.
“Man, she’s a dawg,” Bonner mentioned. “She’s simply somebody that got here into our workforce and we didn’t need to decelerate. Appears like we haven’t missed a beat.”
With the win, the Solar definitely nonetheless have questions. It was ugly at instances — because it often is in Connecticut. However the victory additionally set forth an encouraging blueprint, outlining what it may take for the Solar to win the championship.
