SAN FRANCISCO — Liberty star Jonquel Jones wasn’t about to make excuses for the Liberty’s disastrous loss in Seattle on Thursday night.
She didn’t take the bait when a reporter proposed that the different lineups may have contributed to the Liberty’s 16 turnovers that led to 15 Storm points.
“We just have to be better locked in,” Jones said after New York’s 99-88 loss. “At this point, we’ve had practice reps, we’ve had shootaround time, we’ve had time with each other and, like, I’m not about to come in here and make an excuse for us, like, we just have to be better. That’s just what it is. It’s not about the reps, it’s not about the playing time, it’s not about none of that stuff. It’s about having some heart and playing with some f–king heart.”
The Liberty, who’ve lost three of their last four games, are set to wrap up their four-game road trip Sunday against the Golden State Valkyries.
They’ve been complacent, at times, and shown a willingness to play down to their opponents.
Effort and focus has waned.
That hasn’t bode well for the Libs, who suffered disappointing losses against the Portland Fire, Washington Mystics, Los Angeles Sparks and Storm.
Playing down to an opponent shouldn’t be an issue for the Valkyries.
But the Liberty have to be prepared for the smothering team defense the Valkyries possess.
Led by All-Star candidate Gabby Williams, Golden State is coming off back-to-back wins against the Atlanta Dream, including Friday night’s 78-75 rock fight.
And Williams said she believes Friday night’s showing was proof that Golden State is ready to knock down another contender.
“We knew that Atlanta was really going to go after us after that first game and I think it’s going to be something similar with New York,” Williams said. “We know how bad New York wants this after seeing what happened with them in Seattle. And so just expecting that they’re going to want to throw that first punch, and I think the way we handle tonight, that gives me confidence that we can handle New York on Sunday.”
Consider that a warning shot directed at the Liberty.
The Valkyries already demolished the Libs once this season, defeating them 87-70 at the start of their Brooklyn homestand. In that loss, turnovers, missed shots and poor execution on defense were major factors in the Liberty’s demise.
New York’s defense has improved immensely since May 21, when the Liberty were without Leonie Fiebich, Betnijah Laney-Hamilton and Sabrina Ionescu.
All three are back.
Fiebich has been on a tear over the past four games, averaging 15.8 points on 55.6 percent shooting, including 59.1 percent from deep.
This month, Jones bolstered her own All-Star case, shooting 79.3 percent in the restricted area and 44.9 percent from behind the arc. She’s averaging 17 points and 9.1 rebounds in June.
Breanna Stewart, who sat out the Storm loss to rest, is expected to be back in the mix.
Meanwhile, Sabrina Ionescu hasn’t found her footing in the Liberty’s flow offense and hasn’t looked her best defensively since returning from back soreness.
But what better time for Ionescu to have a breakout performance than in the Bay Area, where her roots lie?
On Friday night, Ionescu had her high school gym in Orinda, Calif., named in her honor.
On Sunday night, she’ll have a chance to torment the Valkyries, who would be more than happy to one day bring the Bay Area native home.