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tRY IT NOWAfter suffering their first loss of the season, the Liberty know they are open to criticism.
They had their usual 30-minute film session on Monday. Coach Sandy Brondello acknowledged that they “can’t give up” the 102 points scored on them by the Fever. Breanna Stewart noted the defensive woes came from “overcomplicating things” and “miscommunication” during switches.
However, the Liberty have a quick turnaround to get on the same page as they are expecting to be pushed in similar ways in what will be an even bigger test in hosting their first meeting with the new-look Dream on Tuesday.
On Saturday, the Liberty allowed 17 Fever 3-pointers, including seven from Caitlin Clark on 14 attempts. They shot 48 percent from beyond the arc.
The Dream also happen to be 3-point hunters, with their 10.2 per game the second most in the league behind the Liberty (11).
Two of their starters are in the WNBA’s top 10 for 3-pointers made per game: Rhyne Howard is No. 2 with 3.3; and Allisha Gray, who is second in the league in points per game with 21, ranks seventh with 2.5. Atlanta also is third in the league in percentage of points coming from beyond the arc with 36.1.
“They are pretty similar teams in just how they play,” Sabrina Ionescu said following practice Monday. “Personnel, obviously, high volume players, players who shoot the ball really well. And they play well with each other. So, I think it will be a great test for us … but a really similar team and knowing they’re going to attack all angles just like Indy did. Our defense is really going to get put to the test because we have to contain the 3-point line, but we also have to be able to rebound and stop players in the post.”
Atlanta (8-3) has won each of their past three games by at least 18 points. They are also third in the league in scoring average at 84.6 ppg, trailing the second-place Lynx by just 1.3 and the league-leading Liberty by 5.6.
That’s by design, as Atlanta made two of the biggest offseason moves by luring 10-time All-Star Brittney Griner from Phoenix and three-time All-Star Brionna Jones from Connecticut.
They are a formidable force in the paint and a big reason why the Dream lead the WNBA with 38.6 rebounds per game.
“I think this is an even bigger challenge,” Stewart said. “This is a team that loves to hunt 3s and making sure that they’re all tough and contested. And while they hunt 3s, they have BG and Bri Jones down there cleaning anything up. So, it’ll put us in an interesting spot. But I think we had a good practice today, and we’re ready for the game tomorrow, and it always helps to have home-court advantage behind us.”
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The Liberty weren’t shy to remind that, against the Fever, they were without the defensive help of Jonquel Jones in the paint and Leonie Fiebich just about everywhere.
To their benefit, Jones will return on Tuesday after missing two games due to a right ankle sprain. She will be a big boost to the Liberty defense and especially for Stewart, who said she was “getting down and dirty” with the guards on Saturday.
There is no long-term worry in the Liberty camp about their defensive end as they still rank as the best defensive team in the league with a 91.3 defensive rating, just in front of the Fever and Dream.
“Just very controllable things. Understanding how a lot of this stuff was mental errors and us not being in the right position,” Ionescu said. “Obviously, those are things that you can go back and control. And so I think that’s why we’re very optimistic. No one’s really hanging their head.”