Liberty 106, Sun 75: Waiting for Lacan

Needless to say, I hoped we were past the kind of beatings the Sun took Friday night in Brooklyn, made worse by the fact that Sabrina Ionescu and Satou Sabally (and a couple of others) weren’t even in uniform. Connecticut looked a step slow for most of the first half. Or two. Or four?

I guess some of that is to be expected when you have as many new faces on the roster as the Sun did. Leila Lacan, who was the team’s MVP by a pretty wide margin as a rookie in 2025 is still in France, while Aaliyah Edwards is out with a thigh injury. That led Rachid Meziane to put out a starting lineup that never really stood a chance: Saniya Rivers, Aneesah Morrow (at the 2?), Kennedy Burke, Diamond Miller, and Brittany Griner.

It was 36-13 and 46-19 before the Sun knew what hit them and it was all over early. There are a lot of things that can be fixed, but the Liberty shooting 16-for-20 on two-point shots in the first half (with Breanna Stewart just taking it to Morrow every chance she could with no adjustments) was unacceptable, even with the lineup Connecticut threw out there.

Playing without a point guard is also a choice (please come back soon, Leila), and the 4-for-22 effort from behind the arc might be expected as well. All that adds up to a lot of decisions for Meziane to make before the home opener Sunday against Seattle. The offense is going to be a work in progress all season, but - which we learned last year - you can’t give up 106 points to a team that didn’t even shoot it great from long range (10-for-31) and turned it over 16 times.

The loss of Marina Mabrey and Tina Charles (along with Bria Hartley) should hypothetically help the Sun be a better defensive team this season, something that they showed great improvement in on their winning streak toward the end of 2025, nearly climbing out of last in defensive efficiency after a nearly record-breaking (in a bad way) start. It was a fast game, so the 1.18 points per possession the Liberty posted isn’t hide your eyes cringeworthy. But it ain’t good, either.

And that will have to be better Sunday (and going forward).

What else did we learn from the Sun’s 106-75 loss in Brooklyn that looked eerily similar to last year’s for a while?:

 

1. Almost everyone was out of position  - It was painful watching Morrow try to guard Stewart, who finished with 31 points and 10 rebounds without evening seeming to have to break a sweat, and it was almost as painful watching Saniya Rivers try to run the point on the other end. Morrow was basically dared to shoot, while Kennedy Burke could not get the ball at all, attempting just 1 shot from behind the arc. And then New York was constantly beating Connecticut down the floor, which exposed the lack of athleticism of some the lineups on display. So basically a mess. 

2. The rookies are going to struggle for a while - There is still some doubt that Charlisse Leger-Walker will be on the roster when Lacan returns. She struggled shooting in 21 minutes, and did only have 1 turnover, but had all kinds of trouble on pick-and-roll defense. Gianna Kneepkens unfortunately went viral (thanks to Betnijah Laney-Hamilton), but at least managed 7 points and 5 rebounds. Reagan Beers was active on the offensive end, but got a couple of fouls and had trouble defending away from the basket. How much of a leash does Meziane give them? In a blowout like this, we were never going to get a good answer, so it’s something to watch going forward.

3. Hailey Van Lith is probably here to stay -  She was probably the Sun’s best player (see below), and will likely start on Sunday after the coaching staff goes through the film. Hopefully that’s not too much pressure on Van Lith after how 2025 went for her, hopefully she can settle in as a backup for Lacan and (although she was just 5-for-31 last season) someone who can knock down open shots that are given to her. She was much more composed than any of the rookies, although still showed some of her defensive liabilities.

Player of the game:  Hailey Van Lith - She hasn’t been with the team long, which may explain why she got only 14 minutes, but scored 9 points (on 4-for-7 shooting) and added 4 assists, posting a team-best -7 (not great, but better than anyone else). She looked comfortable on the offensive end and should be able to score if left alone, something her teammates had trouble with Friday.

Inside the numbers : 25 -  Number of fouls on the Sun, leading to 31 free throws for New York. You saw the hustle increase after the Liberty got off to their hot start, but players like Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Morrow have to be able to defend without fouling. Although New York had 16 turnovers, Connecticut got only 5 steals. 

Under the radar: Julie Vanloo - signed just earlier in the day - finished with 12 points and 11 assists, which also indicates how much the Sun rookies had keeping up with the pace of the game. Marine Johannes was open several times in the first half, which seems pretty inexcusable from a scouting perspective as the only real shooter the Liberty had in the lineup (when Vanloo was not in).

Diamond Miller actually led the Sun with 16 points and did have a very solid second half, although by then the game had long been decided. But maybe that can build some momentum for Sunday?

Quotable:  “We played faster than I was expecting. I think the way we were impacting the game defensively and really rotating and limiting them to one shot, we were able to really push in transition." - Breanna Stewart

Next up: Sunday vs. Seattle (last home opener), 1 p.m.