Liberty score WNBA-record 44 points in first quarter in easy win over Fever
This was a test.
The start of a work-intensive week brought in visitors who do not reside in the same rarefied air.
So the task at hand was to put together a complete 40-minute effort in order to overwhelm an outmatched opponent.
Mission accomplished.
“This team is just buying into how we want to play and have success when you go out there . . . and do it the right way,” coach Sandy Brondello said after the Liberty routed the Fever, 101-83, at Barclays Center on Sunday.
Six players scored in double figures for the Liberty (16-5).
“Any time we can move the ball side to side and get everybody involved, it causes teams to have to play us honestly and gives us more space to be able to do what we all can do,” said Jonquel Jones, who had 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Betnijah Laney scored a season-high 22 points. Sabrina Ionescu and Marine Johannes had 12 each, Breanna Stewart 11 and Kayla Thornton 10 off the bench.
“We found great shots,” said Brondello, whose team made 54% of its shots from the field (37-for-68) and shot 50% from three-point range (17-for-34). “We had really good poise today.”
The mid-afternoon matinee was the start of a stretch in which the Liberty will play four games in seven days, all at home.
They opened the game by making their first nine shots from the field; the teamwide exhibition of marksmanship ended with 3:53 left in the first quarter when Ionescu misfired on a three-point attempt. By that point, the Liberty had a 23-11 lead that they extended to 44-17 at the end of the quarter.
The 44-point explosion set the WNBA record for points in the first quarter, breaking Chicago’s record of 42 in 2019 against the Liberty.
“I was just a spectator after a while,” Brondello said.
The Liberty have struggled to play with large leads this season, but this time they did not relax. At halftime, they led 68-46. The 68 first-half points represented a team high for the season.
With the outcome essentially decided, the Liberty spent the final 20 minutes putting the finishing touches on what may have been their most complete effort of the season.
Said Jones, “We handled it very well and definitely had the right type of mindset and poise to keep the lead throughout the game.
Notes & quotes: The Fever have the worst record in the Eastern Conference (6-16) and the second-worst record in the league . . . The Liberty were shorthanded as neither Han Xu (an “overseas commitment,” according to the team) nor Stefanie Dolson (injured right ankle) were available for the game. Dolson, who has not played since June 23, has begun practicing with the team and said during the pregame news conference that she is pleased with her progress. She praised Brondello and the coaching staff for having her sit on the bench and share insights with the team . . . NBA commissioner Adam Silver was among the 7,371 in attendance.