Sabrina Ionescu’s New York Liberty season debut spoiled by Azzi Fudd and Wings

NEW YORK — Sabrina Ionescu is equal parts poise and bravado.

She exudes the former with the ball in her hands as she evaluates what an opposing team is giving her on defense, and the latter when she saunters down the court, grinning at the crowd after draining 3-pointers from just inside the half-court line.

Both defining traits of Ionescu’s were on display Sunday afternoon as she made her season debut at Barclays Center. But it was spoiled by a career-high performance from rookie Azzi Fudd, who finished with 24 points off the bench in the Dallas Wings’ 91-76 win over the New York Liberty. Paige Bueckers tied Fudd in game-high points.

Fudd’s Brooklyn reception rivaled that of the Liberty’s leading backcourt playmaker, specifically in the third quarter as she poured in 17 of the Wings’ 28 points, nearly outscoring the Liberty by herself in that frame.

Ionescu had 11 points, seven assists and five rebounds in her return. She was held scoreless in the second half, shooting 0-for-6 from the field.

“It’s exciting for me to be able to play my kind of season opener,” Ionescu said Friday. “Obviously, (I) played in the preseason but haven’t had a regular-season game yet, so I’m excited. Feels like it’s been a while, it hasn’t, but it feels like it’s been forever just having to watch from the sidelines.”

Ionescu was ruled out for two weeks after sustaining a left foot injury in the Liberty’s final preseason game. An MRI revealed she avoided significant injury, but Ionescu told reporters Friday that she suffered some structural damage. Coach Chris DeMarco said before the game that she’d be on a minutes restriction. Ionescu ultimately clocked just under 31 minutes for the Liberty.

The injury, Ionescu said, is nothing that will sideline her longer or require surgery. She maintained her conditioning levels by using an underwater treadmill and other cardio avenues, which allowed her to make a relatively seamless transition back to the court.

Asked how she was feeling postgame, Ionescu kept her response brief. “I feel good,” she said.

Satou Sabally led the Liberty with 20 points. Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones added 14 points apiece. Led by Fudd and Awak Kuier, who added 10 points, the Wings’ bench outscored the Liberty’s 38-17.

Tale of two halves

The Liberty came out aggressively in the first half Sunday afternoon. They went on an 11-2 run to open the first quarter, forcing Wings coach Jose Fernandez to call a timeout less than three minutes into the game. But slowly, the Wings walked down that aggression. By the half, the Liberty were barely gripping a one-point advantage.

After controlling the pace in the first quarter, the Wings slowed the Liberty and took away easy transition looks. The Wings outscored the Liberty 17-10 in transition, and after taking the lead less than two minutes into the second half, they never relinquished control.

“Obviously that third quarter killed us,” DeMarco said.

The Wings shot more than 60 percent from 3 in the third frame, led by Fudd who went 5 of 7 from deep.

The Liberty were at a disadvantage defending the Wings on the perimeter without Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, who was out Sunday due to personal reasons, and Leonie Fiebich, who just returned to market after helping Valencia Basket to a Spanish league title. Laney-Hamilton practiced on Friday, and Fiebich attended but wasn’t a full participant. DeMarco said she could potentially make her debut Monday against the Portland Fire.

The Wings excelled at attacking the gaps and running Liberty defenders off screens, which left them chasing shooters who had easy looks.

“We’re missing some length,” Stewart said. “But we still have enough in the locker room. We need to have a better level of awareness. Obviously, these are shooters. You want to run them off the line and then make sure that help-side is there once they are inside the 3-point line and into the paint.”

What might the Liberty’s rotation look like at full strength?

Nearly three weeks into the season, the Liberty still aren’t at full strength.

Ionescu’s celebrated return followed Sabally’s Liberty debut Thursday in their loss to the Golden State Valkyries. Sabally logged just 16 minutes and finished with 5 points. Her minutes restriction Sunday was less limiting, as she played 26 minutes and said she felt good afterwards.

With Ionescu back in the fold, Pauline Astier came off the bench against the Wings. Earlier in the week, DeMarco said he expects her to have a significant impact regardless of whether she’s starting or in a reserve role. She had 7 points and one steal in 18 minutes of play.

The Liberty’s starting lineup — which included Ionescu, Sabally, Stewart, Jones and Marine Johannes — could see another shift. Johannes, who was scoreless against the Wings, could be moved to a reserve role once Fiebich is available.

Technical foul rescinded

Bueckers was assessed a technical foul in the third quarter of the Wings’ 86-69 loss to the Atlanta Dream on Friday for clapping emphatically after drawing a foul on guard Indya Nivar. Bueckers said officials told her they deemed the action as taunting. “Because God forbid I clap, right?” she said after practice Saturday.

The foul — which will be officially rescinded Monday, multiple sources told The Athletic — originally came with a $500 fine.

“If I knew I was going to get a tech, I probably would have done a little bit more,” Bueckers said Saturday. “Just kidding.”

Bueckers, who has a bet going with Wings forward Alysha Clark that she won’t get a technical all season, was grateful to see the fine scrubbed from her record.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

New York Liberty, Dallas Wings, WNBA

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