The New York Liberty suffered a 87-70 loss at home, never making the game close. Sabrina Ionescu and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton were unavailable, and Satou Sabally made her first appearance of the season. Sabally started and played 16 minutes, scoring five points on 2-of-8 shooting with four rebounds and two assists. Postgame reactions emphasized learning early in the season and integrating Sabally after injury. Golden State’s shooting, including 13 made threes, drove the scoring gap. The Valkyries built confidence by scoring 25 points in the first quarter. Defensive rotations were a key concern, with Golden State creating mismatches and Liberty players unable to rotate to help.
"Sabally made her debut for the Liberty against the Valkyries, starting the game and finishing with 16 minutes. She scored five points on 2-of-8 shooting, and added four rebounds and two assists. "I'm a little rusty, but grateful that I could be out there," Sabally said. "It's so hard not to be self-critical right now. I think what worked is that I was on the floor.""
"Sabally added that Ionescu, Breanna Stewart, and head coach Chris DeMarco all spoke to the team in the locker room postgame. The message was that it's a long season, and the team can learn from the loss, which made Sabally feel better about her performance, she said. "We knew there would be an integration period [with Sabally working back from injury]," DeMarco said. "There were some ups and downs, but her body of work is there. We know what she can bring.""
"Golden State has the second-highest three-point percentage in the league, and the team made 13 threes to the Liberty's six. Stewart said postgame that that may have been the difference in the game. "Giving up 25 points in the first quarter gave them a level of confidence and a head of steam that we couldn't contain the whole night," Stewart said. Guard Rebekah Gardner added that one thing the team will work on is its defensive rotations."
"Often, the Valkyries got Liberty players on a defensive island, and the Liberty were unable to rotate behind the ball to help. "Often, the Valkyries got Liberty players on a defensive island, and the Liberty were unable to rotate behind the ball to help.""
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