Right here’s how the Connecticut Solar snapped the Liberty’s 8-game win stream

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK — They lastly obtained it executed. After dropping seven consecutive common season video games to the Liberty, the Solar pulled out a 72-64 win on Saturday evening at Barclay’s Middle.

The win was a well-rounded effort that noticed 5 Connecticut gamers in double-figures on the second evening of a back-to-back: Marina Mabrey (15 factors), DiJonai Carrington (13 factors), Olivia Nelson-Ododa (12 factors, 2 blocks), Brionna Jones (11 factors) and DeWanna Bonner (10 factors).

This late into the season, no singular recreation goes to disclose something drastic about both crew, and one final result doesn’t change the truth that New York has been the most effective crew within the league all yr. However, there’s a pair issues that we can take away in Connecticut’s massive win.

The Solar have hope in a playoff collection in opposition to the Liberty

Earlier than the sport, Liberty coach Sandy Brondello stated it was necessary for her crew to come back out with a win so as sweep the season collection.

“This can be a potential Finals matchup,” Brondello stated. “We’ve received three of these video games — it’s extra ‘don’t give them any hope.’”

However, with the win, the Solar ensured that wouldn’t be the case.

“We had rather a lot to determine within the locker room,” DeWanna Bonner stated postgame. “We had an enormous we had an enormous commerce, and issues modified. So for us to come back collectively like that and get a win like this, it’s large.”

Notably, the win additionally ensured they’d keep a slim lead over the Minnesota Lynx for the #2 seed. The Solar enhance to 21-8 on the yr; the Lynx are only a half a recreation again at 22-8.

Connecticut’s protection stands the hardest take a look at within the league

The Solar — proprietor’s of the league’s second-best protection this season — held the Liberty to 18 factors beneath their season common. Two-time MVP Breanna Stewart was held to only 15 factors, whereas Sabrina Ionescu shot simply 3-13 from the sphere.

“I believe it’s essentially the most constant recreation we performed, significantly on the defensive finish of the ground,” Stephanie White stated. “We did a we did a superb job of making an attempt to get them into the pictures that we needed them to take. Once we had breakdowns, we rapidly remedied them. We performed with a number of ranges of effort, so after we needed to scramble, we continued to make effort to make hustle performs and contest pictures and end performs. We made massive performs offensively after we wanted to and getting getting the manufacturing we obtained from the bench was massive for us.”

Olivia Nelson-Ododa was extremely impactful off the bench

The 6’ 5 ahead has performed a restricted position for the Connecticut Solar to this point this season — heading into Saturday’s recreation in opposition to the Liberty, she averaged simply 3.2 factors in 12.1 minutes an evening.

However, Nelson-Ododa was key to conserving the Solar on this one early on — she scored 8 factors within the first half and completed the sport with 12 factors, 4 rebounds, and a pair of blocks in quarter-hour, battling with Jonquel Jones when Brionna Jones took a seat.

After the sport, she credited her teammates, in addition to the teaching workers for working along with her all through the Olympic break.

“Our beginning 5 does a lot, particularly simply logging in so many minutes,” Nelson-Ododa stated. “So I believe the mentality of, not simply myself, however the bench, is simply making an attempt to go in and contribute in any method that we are able to. And likewise, credit score to my teammates for placing me into good positions to only sort of get going slightly bit tonight.”

Stephanie White praised her exercise, each defensively and offensively.

“I believe her exercise degree is best on each ends of the ground,” White stated. “Liv is a participant who could be a actually good slasher, cutter — significantly after she units on or off ball screens. I believe she made herself out there. She did a superb job of recognizing matchups and when she was cross matched, making herself out there within the publish.”

Marina Mabrey adjustments every thing for Connecticut

Marina Mabrey scored a team-high 15 factors in 26 minutes off the bench, only a day after exploding for a team-high 24 factors in a win in opposition to the Sky. However, maybe most spectacular was her hustle. Mabrey drew an offensive foul on Jonquel Jones halfway by way of the fourth quarter. She seemingly dove on the bottom and fought for unfastened balls each time she was within the neighborhood, reminding the world there’s a motive why Alyssa Thomas referred to as her a dawg.

“She’s only a excessive IQ basketball participant,” Solar head coach Stephanie White stated pregame. “She simply she will get it — she strikes nicely with out the basketball. She understands the place the ball must get to, who to get it to. She has actually good instincts in that space.”

Mabrey provides the Solar at the least a partial answer to their offensive struggles.

“She provides us a chance for for a deeper run along with her capacity to not simply shoot the ball, however to make performs. You noticed that in our recreation final evening, not simply making pictures, however making performs, and making performs for her teammates in addition to in addition to for herself. And he or she’s a clutch shot maker. We don’t have that — you’ll see at sure factors of us attending to the bottom of a shot clock or the underside of a shot clock, and we don’t get something out of it. And he or she’s a participant who can try this.”

DeWanna Bonner praised Mabrey’s willingness to come back off the bench and thrive in that position.

“Man, she’s a dawg,” Bonner stated. “She’s simply somebody that got here into our crew and we didn’t must decelerate. Appears like we haven’t missed a beat.”