Liberty 89, Sun 80: No moral victories here

In a vacuum, a single-digit loss to a title contender like New York is probably something to be really proud of. The Sun did battle for 40 minutes and made the Liberty work for almost everything they got, having a sniff of hope in the final minutes before losing.

But a deeper look shows a Liberty team without Jonquel Jones (who it was awesome to see honored before the game, well deserved) or Sabrina Ionescu, and with Satou Sabally clearly limited (19 minutes). New York didn’t play or shoot particularly well and still got a road victory against a Sun team that (although without perhaps their two most effective players in 2026 in Aneesah Morrow and Brittany Griner) played fairly well, all things considered?

That’s a little discouraging going forward. Leila Lacan does not appear to be near what she was last season, and maybe that’s to be expected. Teams were going to figure out a 20-year old international player her second time around, and her lack of confidence in shooting has made her sadly mediocre thus far this season.

Without her, the Sun’s ceiling is not very high, sadly. Diamond Miller and Aaliyah Edwards are both with Connecticut because of their flaws that have shown up occasionally. And there’s just no one to go to when they need a big bucket. Maybe Wednesday will start a turn around in Toronto, but things are looking pretty bleak at the moment in our sunset season. 

What else did we learn from an 89-80 loss at Mohegan Sun Arena Monday night?:




 

  1. Can’t blame this one on the bench  - Nell Angloma, Charlisse Leger-Walker, and Gianna Kneepkens all posted + in the +/- category and the bench helped spark a second-half run that got the Sun at least within striking distance. It remains to be seen what future Leger-Walker and Kneepkens have in the WNBA, but they were productive Monday where some others weren’t. 

  2. Have to stop the best players - There were some good possessions against Breanna Stewart in the first half, but in the end she finishes with 28 points even though her outside shot was not effective at all. The same happened in Atlanta when they were in the game, and more has to be done to shut down opponents’ stars.

  3. Making layups -  Aaliyah Edwards finished with 15 points and brought energy, but missed three layups that were big in the end. She is shooting only 58% on layups for the season, and the Sun as a team have been poor from short range (except for Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Brittany Griner) and from the free throw line.

Player of the game:  Olivia Nelson-Ododa - Nelson-Ododa managed 15 points (going 6-for-6 from the field) and 8 rebounds and, perhaps more impressively, did not foul out in 26 minutes.

Inside the numbers : -14 -  Rebound margin is an outdated stat, but it was clear the Liberty owned the glass in this one without Aneesah Morrow to deal with.

Under the radar: It worked to some extent in this one, but it’s still interesting to see Rachid Meziane put basically an entire team of rookies on the court like he did at the end of the third quarter in a competitive game. It seems like there’s a way to mix and match better.

There weren’t as many fast break points for New York as there were for Chicago, but there were enough that it seems like something that needs to be addressed. I know offensive rebounds are huge, but Toronto will try the same Wednesday night.

Quotable:  “It is one of the first times that I had to question our energy or effort, so I am proud of our players, we competed. It’s never perfect. We have to believe in ourselves in our ability to shoot the ball with confidence. We missed too many shots from close range that could have changed the game." - Rachid Meziane

Next up: Wednesday at Toronto, 7 p.m.

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