The Liberty showed why they’re the best basketball team in New York on Sunday afternoon.
The 2024 WNBA champions and 2023 Commissioner’s Cup champions opened this season’s Commissioner’s Cup action with a history-making victory over the Connecticut Sun, 100-52. The 48-point win, the second-largest in WNBA history and the biggest in franchise history, was the perfect present for the birthday girl, Big Ellie.
There was not a singular star performance that spurred the Liberty’s domination. Instead, it was a display of the balanced, all-round excellence that makes New York look like the favorite to capture another Cup, as well as a second-straight WNBA championship.
Up 31-13 after the first quarter and 60-28 at the half, the Liberty started hot—and never let up, extending their lead to as many as 57 points. Efficient shooting, especially from behind the arc, drove the Liberty’s dominance. Just seven games into the 2025 season, the Liberty hit a league-record 19 3 pointers for a second time, going 19-for-32, good for almost 60 percent, from 3 as 10 of the 11 players who saw action on Sunday sunk at least one triple. Sabrina Ionescu was 4-for-6 from downtown on her way to a team-high 18 points. Leonie Fiebich went 3-for-4 from deep, finishing with 13 points, a…
