Sabrina Ionescu hasn’t played a major role in the Liberty rising toward the top of the standings, or clinching a berth in the Commissioner’s Cup championship game.
On Wednesday night in Chicago, the four-time All-Star guard again proved why New York never won a title without her, or might not again if she doesn’t return to form following a spate of early season injuries.
Making her first start since May 24 due to back soreness and only her third appearance of the season thus far, Ionescu found herself with the ball and the Liberty down one with time ticking away before a crowd of 7,225 at Wintrust Arena.
She drove left after Jonquel Jones cleared the lane and banked a lay-up off the glass and through the hoop with 10 seconds remaining, lifting New York to its eighth straight win, 96-95, over the Sky, completing a perfect 6-0 run through Cup play.
“She’s a champion. She’s been in a million of these games,” said first-year Liberty coach Chris DeMarco of Ionescu, who also missed New York’s first five games due to an ankle injury.
The Liberty’s longest winning streak since opening last year 9-0 might not have been extended if Ionescu didn’t re-enter the contest with 15.6 seconds to play.
After rookie Sydney Taylor drained a 27-footer to give Chicago (4-10) hope of ending New York’s impressive run, DeMarco called a timeout.
Ionescu caught the ensuing inbound pass and never hesitated in blazing past Skylar Diggins for the winning bucket, giving the Liberty (11-4) a chance to host the Cup final as the Eastern Conference representative at Downtown’s Barclays Center on June 30.
“She’s a pro through and through,” noted Liberty forward Satou Sabally. “And I think she showed everyone that she’s a clutch player.”
Taylor, a Long Island native, did have an opportunity to play hero at the buzzer, arching a 3-ball from the corner that bounded off the rim.
“Tough feeling,” admitted Taylor, who made her first career WNBA start. “But if you’re willing to take those shots, you have to be willing to live with the result.”
Jones led the Liberty in scoring for the second straight game with 19 points while pulling down a game-high eight rebounds.
Satou Sabally and Jonquel Jones teamed up to keep the Chicago Sky at bay until the Liberty rallied to complete their Commissioner’s Cup slate with a 6-0 record. Photo: Melissa Tarnez /AP via Sportswire
Sabally and Breanna Stewart poured in 17 points apiece and Ionescu and Rebekah Gardner added 10 each for New York, which trailed by as many as 15 before reeling in the Sky.
Fresh off a 30-point performance against Indiana last Thursday, Taylor had 24 to lead Chicago, which dropped its fourth in a row and ninth in 10 games since a 3-1 start.
Gabriela Jaquez scored 22 points and Diggins finished with 19 for the Sky, who won’t see the Liberty again until they visit Brooklyn on July 22.
Ionescu also drained a 24-footer from beyond the arc with 2:31 remaining to snap an 89-89 deadlock.
She saved her best for last, however, on a night the Liberty needed it most after doing most of their winning this season without her.
“You haven’t played all year and now you’re right back in the mix,” DeMarco said.
With its Cup slate completed, New York will return to the corner of Atlantic and Flatbush on Friday night to host Washington.
The Liberty will try to complete a three-game season-series sweep of the Mystics (6-7), whom they stormed past 86-64 last Sunday at Barclays in Ionescu’s much-anticipated return to the lineup.
Tip-off in Brooklyn is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
The game will air exclusively on ION TV.
Breanna Stewart gives Leonie Fiebich a lift during New York’s comeback win in Chicago on Wednesday. Photo: Brandon Todd/New York Liberty
GIVE ME LIBERTY: Veteran forward Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, who played 11 minutes off the bench in Sunday’s win over Washington, sat out Wednesday to rest her left knee. She missed all of last season after undergoing surgery on the joint and is listed as day-to-day. … New York outscored Chicago 38-14 in bench points, with Sabally at the forefront of the “Bench Mob” production. “Everyone is important and we’re just carrying each other,” Sabally said. “It doesn’t matter who starts and who doesn’t start. We’re all equal.” … After hosting the Mystics, the Liberty will embark on a four-game West Coast swing, beginning Sunday night in Los Angeles.