Liberty 81, Sun 79: Put some respect on the Sun's name (even though they lost)

Admit it, you had flashbacks to June 1 when the Sun got off to a slow start Monday night at the Barclays Center. Connecticut was offering little resistance, giving up layups every time down the floor it seemed and it was soon 27-10 with a decent amount of time left in the first quarter.

In the end, the Sun fell to the healthier Liberty 81-79, but even in defeat, it showed just how far this team has come, and for that, we can definitely keep our collective chins held high.

There is a long way to go: the Sun rookies still have a way to go offensively (although the moments of brilliance at that end are growing every game), there are still questions about certain positions (like shooting guard and center), but there is certainly the makings of a contender with a couple more pieces in the next few years.

New York was still missing Natasha Cloud, a big loss, the Liberty gave up the No. 7 pick (Aneesah Morrow) in the 2025 Draft for her in that messy offseason that we can almost forget about now. The Sun say they have been a cohesive unit all season, but games like Monday’s leave no doubt, there were several times they got have waved the white flag, but they fought until the final buzzer.

Again it was the youngsters that led the way with Marina Mabrey hitting a couple of shots, but Tina Charles struggling, and the Sun still finding a way to make it a one-possession game on the road in the final seconds and nearly steal it. Leila Lacan probably deserved better on the final play, but the WNBA refs have gotten enough grief over the last few weeks and months, I’m not going to make a big deal out of it.

The Sun still have Minnesota and three games left with Atlanta (nice scheduling, WNBA), so there still could be a night or two where they look like a lottery team again.

But they certainly haven’t lately, so I’m going to bed happy tonight knowing what’s coming down the road (hopefully not in Houston, please).   

What else did we learn Monday as New York survived for a big victory even if it didn’t exactly instill them with confidence?:

1. A monumental effort from Leila Lacan  - You saw the pictures of her eye, they were pretty gruesome, so no one would have blamed her for taking a few days off to make sure it healed properly, but no, Lacan is just going to come off the bench and score 22 points in 31 minutes and nearly tie the game at the buzzer after hitting a couple of clutch shots beforehand. Just gutsy and astounding, and (not that there was) but anyone questioning what her ceiling could be is quieted once again. 

2. Aaliyah Edwards making her case - The boxscore will show that she went without a field goal in 15 minutes, but Edwards played some big minutes down the stretch, and was the best matchup to guard Breanna Stewart in the fourth quarter. Rachid Meziane had tried Lacan, but even her length was no match for Stewart and she just got in foul trouble. As we’ve said before, her athleticism is definitely an asset and if she can add some more consistency on offense, she might be a keeper for the Sun long-term. Unfortunately, the Sun have a lot of defensive specialists already, but at least they have an identity now. 

3. New York a title contender? -  Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu are just coming back from injuries and Natasha Cloud didn’t even play, so it’s hard to get a good read as to what’s coming next, but Jonquel Jones just hasn’t looked like herself this season (she did put up 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists Monday, so maybe I’m wrong), while Emma Meesseman hasn’t really found a way to fit in yet, and their depleted bench probably won’t help them against Atlanta, Minnesota, or even surging Las Vegas. But I’ve been wrong before. Today, even.

Player of the game:  Aneesah Morrow - I said this could be a breakout game for Morrow (see, I’m correct sometimes) and she certainly delivered, putting up 18 points and 15 rebounds without a single turnover, even drilling 3-for-3 from behind the three-point arc. I’ve written that - despite her low shooting percentage - her shot often looks online, so perhaps she was due Monday. Like Saniya Rivers, the shooting adds a whole separate dimension to her game.

Inside the numbers : 14 -  Number of turnovers from the Liberty, including four from Ionescu, but it wasn’t quite enough. At 18.2% of 76 possessions, it is still above the Sun’s lofty 16.1% average coming in, but I’m greedy, and one more steal at some point in the game probably would have pushed them over the edge. 

Under the radar: Rivers had a tough night, which included her getting a technical foul for pushing Marine Johannes when Johannes and Mabrey got into an argument (it’s been a while since Mabrey was involved in one). She also was somewhat lucky to not get ejected for making contact with an official (although it was slight). The incident looked like it shook Rivers up a bit, it’s certainly not in her character, and she’ll surely learn from it.

The slow motion replay on the final play was inconclusive, but as I said on BlueSky, 95% of the time when a defender swipes down like that against an opponent driving, it’s called a foul. And if it was Ionescu making the drive instead of the rookie, what do you think? But it’s not worth a rant about WNBA officiating, it’s a bang-bang play on the road, and that’s the way it goes sometimes. Not the worst no-call at the Barclays Center in the past 10 months, is it?

Quotable:  “When I'm sick, personally, I play better because I don't have to think that much, just follow whatever you need. I'm getting better day by day,” - Leila Lacan

Next up: Wednesday at Dallas, 8 p.m. EDT