Sun 94, Liberty 86: It's the hope that kills

It’s the hope that kills you, right? Ted Lasso famously disagreed, of course, and - at least on May 9 - I’m going to go with Ted. Because after Sunday’s game in Seattle, it was hard to find much of anything to be hopeful about the Connecticut Sun with the 2025 regular season careering toward us. The Sun looked disjointed, which was somewhat understandable, but the lack of any direction and/or shooting ability seemed like an ominous harbinger of frustrating summer nights to come.

Friday saw the Sun basically run the defending champs out of their own building, scoring 84 points in the first three quarters before emptying the bench for a 94-86 final that was not as close as it appears. We had Marina Mabrey running the offense, talking trash, and arguing with the officials over seemingly mundane calls. Olivia Nelson-Ododa might have been the most active player on the floor, Jacy Sheldon was hitting transition threes in rhythm, Lindsay Allen had seven assists and finished at +17, and Tina Charles led all scorers with 17 points.

You’ll get a hard asterisk from Liberty fans (and probably the rest of the league, of course) who played without Breanna Stewart and Leonie Fiebich and were playing their first preseason contest (they play again Monday). Jonquel Jones and Sabrina Ionescu played sparingly, and - particularly Ionescu - never really got involved in the offense, as Sandy Brondello experimented to see who will fill out her roster when final cuts are made next week.

But why not Believe, right, Ted? 

What else did we learn in the Big Apple Friday night?:

1. Jacy Sheldon is going to have to hit open shots - As I pointed out in the season preview, Sheldon shot 37.3% in her (second) senior year at Ohio State at high volume and at the top of most teams’ scouting reports. The Sun just don’t have many shooters, arguably none outside of Marina Mabrey, so it is going to be essential that she hits open shots. She was 3-for-4 Friday, so shooting 75% is probably unrealistic, but, man, was it fun to watch in the second and third quarters.

2. The Sun will have to live through Olivia Nelson-Ododa’s growing pains - You saw when Nelson-Ododa will do for the Sun tonight, be extremely active defensively, be a pest (4 offensive rebounds) on the offensive glass, and always bring energy. You also saw some limitations offensively and a couple of times where Jonquel Jones drove her deep into the lane and scored easily. But she will get better, you saw that last season, and should again in 2025.

3. Tough roster decisions for Meziane and the brass - The Sun were impressive without Diamond DeShields, Aneesah Morrow, Saniya Rivers, and Leila Lacan, who should make the team, barring something ridiculous. That would mean four of the players on the floor tonight are not going to make the team. If you’ve read here before, you know I really think Rayah Marshall deserves a chance as a long-term project. But to keep her means Madison Hayes, Kariata Diaby, and two of Yvonne Anderson, Haley Peters, Robyn Parks (who hit 3 three-pointers), and Amy Okonkwo would have to go. If I had to choose, it would probably be Peters and Parks, but it will be a tough decision. The Sun will also be on the lookout for any players getting cut from other teams (as they did with Veronica Burton last season).

Player of the game:  Jacy Sheldon - You could make a case for Lindsay Allen, who had 7 assists against 1 turnover, but Sheldon’s 16 points would be just 1 shy of her career-high last year with Dallas. Sheldon was 5-for-8 from behind the arc in that July 5 win over Atlanta, but was only 25-of-89 the rest of the campaign.

Inside the numbers : 3 -  Number of offensive rebounds by New York as the Sun cleaned up the defensive glass at an 87.0% rate. That number will be very important for the Sun on defense this season.

Under the radar: Meziane’s offense was much more diverse with another week to practice. Mabrey actually got herself open off of a couple of pindowns and split actions (through Charles), it’s hard to believe it will be that easy when the regular season starts, but we’ll see. As mentioned before, Sheldon hitting shots will add a whole new dimension the Sun will desperately need.

Quotable:  “It might look a little crazy on the outside. A lot of people might be saying things because they don’t really understand what’s going on. But I think for us, as long as we know we have the vision in sight.” - Connecticut Sun general manager Morgan Tuck in the New York Post.

Next up: Sunday (May 18), regular season opener vs. Washington, 1 p.m.