ATLANTA — Sabrina Ionescu felt the weight of the Liberty’s bewildering overtime loss Wednesday night.
Afterward, she owned up to her personal shortcomings, telling the team, “It was my fault.”
“This loss is on me,” Ionescu said. “I got to take it on the chin and I got to be better.”
She’ll have a chance to do just that when the Liberty return home Friday for Game 3 of the WNBA semifinals against the Atlanta Dream with their season on the brink.
The Dream won the first two games, including Wednesday’s 101-98 overtime thriller that left New York one loss away from elimination.
No WNBA team has ever come back from an 0-2 deficit in a best-of-five playoff series.
The Liberty would like to think they could be the first and vowed to chip away at the mountain one game at a time.
“The mentality is just that it’s not over,” Ionescu said.
While there’s plenty of blame to go around for the Liberty’s loss — including the coaching staff’s rookie mistake and the team’s defensive lapses, among others — this is a defining moment for Ionescu, who’s weathered one of her most tumultuous seasons yet.
Ionescu missed the start of the season because of an injured left foot and has been dealing with a nagging back issue. She’s experienced moments of brilliance as well as stretches when her shot hasn’t been there and possessions she would like back all while carrying the weight of expectations heavier than rain-soaked Timberlands.
Wednesday was just the latest test of Ionescu’s resolve.
While teammates delivered big shots when the Liberty needed them most, Ionescu, who had 27 points on 50 percent shooting in Game 1, struggled to find the same rhythm.
Her confidence took a hit. And when the game slipped away in overtime, she was left to reckon with the moments she wished she could have back.
One mistake stands out like a coffee stain on a white T-shirt.
Ionescu had the ball in her hands with the Dream up by one and 10 seconds left in overtime. She started to drive when she saw multiple Atlanta defenders closing in. Instead of putting up a shot, Ionescu flung the ball across the court and into the stands.
“It was a bad pass, that’s on me,” Ionescu said. “That’s one that I need to be able to make a better pass or finish … I wasn’t in a great rhythm. I didn’t get a lot of shots up to be able to feel confident taking it and I’m gonna beat myself up for it, for sure. That’s a shot I should take and at least just put it up on the rim but it is what it is and gotta go back home and try and turn it around.”
Ionescu finished with 10 points on 3-of-8 shooting with four rebounds, seven assists and two turnovers.
The Liberty have no margin for error. If they lose Friday, their season ends and they’ll enter yet another offseason of uncertainty earlier than they would’ve hoped.
There’s no opportunity to correct a bad performance if things go awry in Game 3.
Atlanta’s pressure and physicality disrupted the Liberty’s offense in the first two games. The Liberty need everyone to step up to keep their season alive.
For Ionescu, that means being more decisive about when to facilitate and attack. There’s no time for second-guessing.
Friday is an opportunity for Ionescu to seize control with the team’s season hanging in the balance.
“[Bouncing back is] what I’ve done my whole career,” Ionescu said. “You’re gonna win, you’re gonna lose, you’re gonna hit a game-winner, you’re gonna turn it over. It’s just part of sports. And if it was easy, everyone would be doing it. So I think for me, it’s just having kind of the mentality of knowing in these moments they’re gonna prepare me for what’s to come.”
