1 hour ago
Statement victory at Champion Las Vegas
Leonie Fiebich and Nyara Sabally with New York Liberty in the playoffs
The New York Liberty, led by Leonie Fiebich and Nyara Sabally, are the first team to book a ticket for the playoffs. In a repeat of last year’s finals, the Liberty beat the Las Vegas Aces 79:67.
With a 14-game lead over ninth place, the current WNBA leader (23-4) can no longer be denied a playoff spot. In Las Vegas, the defense was the main focus, and in the last three quarters the team only allowed the champions 39 points, including just eight in the second period.
Leonie Fiebich also played a big part in this, playing a lot in defense against Las Vegas’ point guard Kelsey Plum (13 points, 5/13 FG, 2 assists) and doing a very good job. In 31 minutes, the 24-year-old contributed twelve points (4/7 FG, 2/5 three-pointers), seven rebounds and two assists.
Nyara Sabally, on the other hand, only played 3:38 minutes in the first quarter and was not used again after that. The center made both of her free throws and grabbed a rebound. The best scorer for the Liberty was Sabrina Ionescu, who needed 21 shots for her 23 points.
On the Wings’ side, who were in action for the first time since the Olympics, A’ja Wilson was the best player with 24 points and eleven rebounds.
WNBA: The other games of the evening
Minnesota celebrated a must-win against the Washington Mystic, with Naphessa Collier scoring 30 points (13/16 FG) against the worst team in the WNBA. Chicago also won 90-86 in Los Angeles, securing an important victory in the race for the last playoff spot.
The Sky were still in double digits before the final quarter, but then exploited their size advantage under the basket thanks to the two rookies Kamilla Cardoso (15, 6/9 FG, 14 rebounds) and Angel Reese (14, 4/13 FG, 11 boards). Chicago, in eighth place, is now 2.5 games ahead of the Atlanta Dream in ninth place.
